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Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV.
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
and
DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...
each held a smaller stake. The channel started out with user-generated content made by viewers in 15-minute blocks. The channel later switched formats to become an independent news network aimed at progressive politics. Neither format brought the success that Gore and Hyatt had desired. On January 2, 2013, it was announced that Current TV had been sold by Gore and Hyatt to
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
-based broadcaster
Al Jazeera Media Network Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media media conglomerate, conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera E ...
. AJMN stated it planned to shut down the Current TV channel, retain its off-air staff, and to launch a new New York City-based channel named Al Jazeera America (using Current's distribution network). Current had operated in the same way with Newsworld International, a predecessor to Current. They also said they planned to scrap the channel's programming lineup and brand. Al Jazeera America replaced Current TV on August 20, 2013, at 3:00 pm Eastern, 2:00 pm Central time. The former headquarters would become the home of Al Jazeera's all-online digital channel AJ+.


History


2002–2006: Launch

After the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore and Hyatt wanted to start a conventional cable news network. The plan evolved into making a viewer-generated channel aimed at an audience demographic age 18–34. On May 4, 2004, INdTV Holdings, a company co-founded by Gore and Hyatt in 2002, purchased Canada-based cable news channel NewsWorld International (NWI) from
NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...
for the express purpose of launching their new network with the space on some digital cable lineups (and
DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...
) that NWI had. The new network would not have political leanings, Gore said, but would serve as an "independent voice" for a target audience of people between 18 and 34 "who want to learn about the world in a voice they recognize and a view they recognize as their own." Other reports said that Gore hoped that the channel would help change the tide of "consolidation and conglomeratization" of the media by leading the change to "democratization." The news network was said to be a combination between CNN, MTV, and blipverts. In the summer of 2004, Gore and Hyatt announced their new network, named INdTV, with a series of public recruitment events. The first of these events was held at the Bambuddha Lounge in San Francisco's Tenderloin, on August 25, 2004. On April 4, 2005, the former vice president with business partner Hyatt announced that they had changed the name of the network from "INdTV" to "Current TV". The new television network launched in the United States at midnight EDT on the morning of August 1, 2005. The first person heard on the channel was Conor Knighton, a staple during the early years of the channel introducing the channel with the show Google Current.


2006–2008: Expansion and Yahoo! partnership

On September 20, 2006, Current TV started a short-lived partnership with
Yahoo! Yahoo (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web portal that provides the search engine Yahoo Search and related services including My Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, y!entertainment, yahoo!life, and its a ...
to supply topic-specific "channels" to the Yahoo Video website. Called the Yahoo! Current Network, the first four channels, "Current Buzz", "Current Traveler", "Current Action" (about action sports), and "Current Driver" quickly became the most popular videos on the Yahoo Video web site. There were Yahoo branded segments on Current TV, similar to the Google Current segments. Additional web channels were planned. However, on December 6, 2006, Yahoo and Current TV announced the end of their relationship. Madeline Smithberg co-creator of '' The Daily Show'', was the Executive Producer for this project. On October 6, 2006, a deal was announced with BSkyB to create a localized UK and Ireland version of Current TV for its
Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
satellite service. This version went live on March 12, 2007, on Sky channel 229 (later moving to 183) and Virgin Media channel 155. The first documentary aired on the launch was 'Tracking William, a Night With a Paparazzo' from director Daniel Florencio, a prolific contributor of the channel. In 2007, Current TV started video-on-demand service on Virgin Media. Current TV was also added to the Freewire IPTV network on channel 178. The channel closed on March 11, 2012, following BSkyB's withdrawal of support and a failed rescue attempt from Current TV. On January 31, 2007, Current TV launched on Dish Network. On September 16, 2007, Current TV won an Emmy award for Best Interactive Television Service at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. This was the first year in which this Emmy was presented during the primetime broadcast. The award was presented by Masi Oka of '' Heroes'' fame and MySpace founder Tom Anderson (through their own computers), and Al Gore and Joel Hyatt accepted the award on their behalf."Al Gore joins Emmy parade"
Variety.com. September 13, 2007.
On February 8, 2008, it was announced that the network would also be available on the Italian Sky Italia satellite digital platform on channel 130. According to the official website, broadcasts started on May 8, 2008. On June 6, 2008, it was announced that the network would also be available on the Italian 3 DVB-H mobile operator, free of charge. The channel closed on July 31, 2011, following failed distribution renegotiations with Sky Italia. Current TV partnered with
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
for the 2008 Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates, allowing viewers who watched the Current TV version of the debates to post live on Twitter and have their opinions shown on screen, live.


2009–2010: Financial troubles and IPO plans

On January 28, 2009, Current Media Inc. announced that it intended to launch an
initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
on the NASDAQ to raise US$100 million. However, it announced in early April that it was scrapping the plan due to "current market conditions" and that no securities had been sold, and all activity regarding the proposed IPO had been discontinued. In June 2009, Current TV received approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to establish a Canadian version of the channel, which would be a joint venture of Current TV and the CBC, with the CBC taking 80 percent ownership. The channel would be required to feature at least 35% Canadian content. The new service was planned to begin in Fall 2009, pending approval by the Treasury Board, but those plans were put on hold later that year. In July 2009, Current TV made a series of changes due to financial reasons and the failed IPO. CEO Joel Hyatt resigned to a new vice president position and was replaced by Mark Rosenthal, the former COO and president of MTV Networks, with a plan to reform Current TV to more traditional programing. Lisa Derrick of '' The Huffington Post'' predicted that Current TV would undergo a transformation similar to MTV's transformation during Mark Rosenthal's 1990s tenure at MTV, from MTV's multi-minute music video format to longer 30 minute/1 hour
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
programing. Ultimately its assorted pod format was discontinued in lieu of traditional 30-minute block programing. Some elements of the pod format survived inside the themed 30-minute programing. In July 2009, 80 in-house staff were laid off, about 25% of Current's staff, and plans were announced to air licensed TV series and films and other content that was not produced by Current in-house or by the VC2 system. Andrew Wallenstein of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' predicted Current would make its targeted demographic a decade older from early 20s to early 30s, and add more less-serious entertainment programing to its then mostly news and reality/documentary format. In late 2009, after the announcement of the Comcast-NBC Universal merger, Comcast Corporation submitted a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that revealed it owned a ten percent stake of Current Media LLC."How Cable Programming Is 'Chosen' – The Implications for Comcast-NBC"
. StopBigMedia.com, 2010-01-11. Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
Current received three Emmy nominations in the news and documentary category in 2009. In mid-2010, Current's Vanguard journalism program's piece, ''Oxycontin Express'', received a Peabody Award, a first for both Mariana van Zeller, the journalist behind the story, and Current TV. Current also received a Headliner award. Around this time, a report by
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
on the network's ongoing problems suggested that it could have blossomed into something akin to
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
's video-sharing platform,
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
's role as a left-leaning news outlet, or even the Oprah Winfrey Network. "In retrospect", the report concluded, "what's distinctive about Current's troubles was that Gore's vision had so much potential. It's uncanny how close he was to capitalizing on several key trends that transformed the media world, only to watch others do so."


2009: North Korea incident

On March 17, 2009, the
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
n military detained two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, working for Current TV, after they allegedly crossed into North Korea from China. On March 30, 2009, North Korean state media reported that preparations were under way for indictments and a trial, saying, "The illegal entry of US reporters into the DPRK emocratic People's Republic of Koreaand their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements." The two faced trial on June 4. On June 8, Reuters reported that the two reporters were found guilty of illegal entry and committing "hostile acts against the DPRK" and subsequently sentenced to twelve years of hard labor. On August 4,
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
reported that Lee and Ling were pardoned amidst a visit by former U.S. president
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
to North Korea.


2011 major format changes

Beginning early in 2011, Current TV started implementing major changes in programming and personnel, beginning with the hiring of Keith Olbermann. To signify these changes, Current unveiled new imaging and a new logo in May 2011, designed by branding firm Wolff Olins. On February 8, 2011, Keith Olbermann announced that he had been hired to host a new primetime show on Current TV and was named Chief News Officer with an equity stake in the network. In April 2011, Olbermann announced that his nightly program would retain the same title from his time at
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
. On June 20, 2011, '' Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' relaunched on Current TV. The program aired Mondays through Fridays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and was based out of New York City. Olbermann stated on '' The Colbert Report'' that Current TV was planning to make a nightly news segment consisting of his show and others that would launch later on Current TV. In August 2011, Current announced that it had hired former CNN Bureau Chief and SVP of Programming David Bohrman as the network's new president. Bohrman later announced that after filling out its prime-time lineup, Current would also gradually begin shifting towards "a full daytime, morning schedule of news, information, analysis, conversation, context – all based on the events of the day" from an independent, progressive perspective. On September 15, 2011, Current also announced that it had hired Shelley Lewis, former CNN and PBS executive producer, as executive vice president of programming. On September 20, 2011, the network announced that Cenk Uygur of the internet-based TYT Network would be launching a TV edition of the internet news program '' The Young Turks'' in the fourth quarter of 2011. The program was broadcast from Los Angeles and aired weekdays at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The program premiered on December 5, 2011. On September 21, 2011, network president David Bohrman named Jason Odell as executive vice president of technology. Odell had an extensive career at both CNN and NBC, and was most recently known for creating (along with David Bohrman) and implementing CNN's "holographic" technology during election coverage. On October 12, 2011, the network announced that it had hired former
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
governor Jennifer Granholm to host her own weekday prime-time program '' The War Room with Jennifer Granholm''. The program launched on January 30, 2012, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.


2012 major format changes

On March 5, 2012, Current announced an upcoming weekday morning block of programming with TV-friendly simulcasts of '' The Stephanie Miller Show'' (under the name ''Talking Liberally: The Stephanie Miller Show'') and '' The Bill Press Show'' (under the name ''Full Court Press: The Bill Press Show''). This was interpreted by Mediaite's Political Editor and White House Correspondent Tommy Christopher as an attempt to compete against MSNBC's ''
Morning Joe ''Morning Joe'' is an American morning news talk show, which airs weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time Zone, Eastern Time on the cable news channel MSNBC. It features former United States House of Representatives, US Repr ...
'' (which aired from 6am to 9am). This morning block moved to Free Speech TV after Current TV folded and became Al Jazeera America. On March 30, 2012, Current announced that Keith Olbermann had been fired and would no longer host a show on their network. A statement released by network founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt explained how the network's "values are no longer reflected" in Current's relationship with Olbermann, and that former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer would begin hosting ''Viewpoint'' effective immediately in the time slot previously occupied by Olbermann. On April 18, 2012, Current announced that California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom would host a show titled '' The Gavin Newsom Show'', while concurrently serving as lieutenant governor. In June 2012, it was formally announced that Joy Behar would be getting another talk show, '' Joy Behar: Say Anything!'', premiering September 4, 2012'Joy Behar: Say Anything' to premiere Sept. 4
. .
on the Current TV network. Its content was expected to be in line with her previous HLN series ''The Joy Behar Show''. Before the new show's launch, Behar began acting as fill-in host for Eliot Spitzer's Current TV talk show, '' Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer'', starting on July 18, 2012.


2013: Acquisition by Al Jazeera

On January 2, 2013,
Al Jazeera Media Network Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media media conglomerate, conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera E ...
announced that it had purchased Current Media, LLC and would be closing down the Current TV channel while launching and integrating the remains of Current into a new American news channel titled Al Jazeera America using its distribution network. Prior to the sale, it was believed that Al Gore and Joel Hyatt each owned approximately twenty percent of Current Media, business magnate Ronald Burkle owned about twenty-five percent, and
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
and
DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...
each owned more than five percent. The terms of the deal were undisclosed. According to ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', the purchase was about US$500 million. The purchase by Al Jazeera occurred after an attempt by TheBlaze to purchase the media company was rejected in 2012. Immediately after the announcement, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, which both broadcast Current TV to nine million American homes, announced they would be dropping the channel, but said they would consider airing Al Jazeera America. It was previously reported in April 2012 that TWC and Bright House were considering to drop the channel due to low ratings. Al Jazeera America still replaced Current TV on
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
, Dish Network, Verizon and
DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...
.
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
dropped Current TV the morning before it changed to Al Jazeera America prompting a lawsuit for breach of contract from
Al Jazeera Media Network Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media media conglomerate, conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera E ...
. Time Warner and Bright House later added Al Jazeera America on December 6, 2013, after a new deal was signed 2 months earlier. AT&T would add the channel on June 27, 2014. Defending his decision, Current TV chairman
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
wrote: "I am incredibly proud of what Current has been able to accomplish. But broadcast media is a business, and being an independent content producer in a time of increasing consolidation is a challenge." In a news release, Al Jazeera Director General Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani said, : "By acquiring Current TV, Al Jazeera will significantly expand our existing distribution footprint in the U.S., as well as increase our newsgathering and reporting efforts in America ..We look forward to working together with our new cable and satellite partners to serve our new audiences across the U.S." The Al Jazeera network also expected to increase its U.S.-based staff to a total of more than 300 employees and retain most of Current's staff. In addition to ending the Current TV channel, Al Jazeera announced it was scrapping the channel's programming lineup, as well as its brand. On January 2, Cenk Uygur, host of the weekday '' Young Turks with Cenk Uygur'', stated at the time that the Current TV show would continue for at least three months and that he was open to staying with the new network. Later, after the end of Current, in a
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
interview, Uygur remarked about the loss of the television show that he felt "relieved" that he could move on and focus on his web show and site and that he "was exhausted from doing the two shows at once;" also that "The future is overwhelmingly online" and he was excited to turn his energies there. It was also mentioned that after the acquisition of Current, he had brief talks with Al Jazeera America about whether there would be a place for him and the show, but both sides agreed that Uygur, known for political rants, would not fit well with the company's plans to build a news source with a more neutral tone. That same day, Jennifer Granholm, host of '' The War Room with Jennifer Granholm'', announced that she would leave the channel as a result of the acquisition, as did Gavin Newsom, host of '' The Gavin Newsom Show'', who was reported to have planned on leaving the network earlier. On Sunday, January 6, Eliot Spitzer announced that he had left the network and his weekday show '' Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer''. It was announced in an article in Politico at the time of the purchase that Bill Press didn't expect to continue his show with Al Jazeera once the change officially took place. Press also didn't expect Stephanie Miller to continue her show on Al Jazeera. Press said he would look for TV coverage to replace Current but expected having trouble finding a replacement. On August 1, 2013, Press announced that his show's simulcast would move to Free Speech TV on September 3, 2013. Stephanie Miller announced later after a hiatus from television syndaication that her show would also move to Free Speech TV in January 2014. In a January 22, 2014, article in Politico Al Jazeera spokesman Stan Collender said the network's launch would be pushed back to within six months, and would create "multiple hundreds of new jobs" and new bureaus around the country. They announced the hiring of 105 total jobs for the new network, with 98 in New York and seven in Washington, D.C. On July 3, 2013, Ali Velshi announced on his Twitter account that the network would replace Current on August 20, 2013. The last live show on Current was '' Viewpoint'' with John Fugelsang, ending on August 15, 2013. Al Jazeera America launched and replaced Current on August 20, 2013, at 3:00pm EDT. On August 16, 2014, Al Gore launched a lawsuit against Al Jazeera Media Network claiming a residual payment of $65 million of the sale proceeds held in an escrow account, due in 2014, remained unpaid. In September
Al Jazeera Media Network Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media media conglomerate, conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera E ...
launched a lawsuit against
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
. Al Jazeera America shut down on April 12, 2016, citing the "economic landscape and the highly competitive nature of the American media market" as reasons to shut down the channel. After use by three networks since 1994, the channel space folded after Al Jazeera failed to sell it to another network.


Remains

Al Jazeera maintained Current TV's former San Francisco headquarters as the headquarters for its all online digital channel AJ+ until late 2018 which included use of the former ''The War Room'' studio and its podcast network Jetty. The building was also home to Al Jazeera's digital team and other departments as well as the base for the show '' Fault Lines''. Elsewhere, '' The Young Turks'' still use their main news desks, background graphics and lighting from Current TV in their new studio; Bill Press uses the same cameras and equipment from his Current TV simulcast to show his simulcast on Free Speech TV. Press also has the same background on camera featuring the ''Full Court Press'' name from the former Current TV simulcast. During Al Jazeera America's existence, Current's New York City studios were home to the Al Jazeera America shows ''On Point with Ali Velshi'' and ''Third Rail''. Many of the people formerly employed by Current stayed on with the new network, most notably Christof Putzel, formerly of the Current TV series ''Vanguard'', who became an investigative reporter for Al Jazeera America's show '' America Tonight''. Michael Shure formerly of ''The War Room'' left but came back to the channel as a political contributor. David Shuster, another former Current TV face, remained with the network becoming a reporter and fill-in host. All of the videos on Current TV's YouTube channel were removed. However, as of March 2021, the channel remains online, albeit with no content.


Prior programming

*'' Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' was Current's first live nightly news and commentary program, which Olbermann originally hosted on
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
. The show aired from June 20, 2011, until March 29, 2012, after which Olbermann was fired. *'' InfoMania'' was a weekly satirical news show hosted by Conor Knighton and later Brett Erlich. *'' SuperNews!'' *''Politically Direct 2012'' was Current TV's live special program covering aspects of the 2012 presidential election, such as debate analysis. It featured Current hosts, contributors, and special guests. *'' 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die'' was a five-part series hosted by Morgan Spurlock. *'' The Gavin Newsom Show'' was a show hosted by California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. *''Full Court Press with Bill Press'' was a live simulcast of '' The Bill Press Show'' (political commentary). The show ended on Current TV on August 15, 2013, with the end of live programming on the network, and relaunched on Free Speech TV on September 9, 2013. *''Talking Liberally'' was a live simulcast of '' The Stephanie Miller Show'' (political satire). The show ended on Current TV on August 15, 2013, with the end of live programming on the network, and later relaunched on Free Speech TV. *'' The War Room with Michael Shure'' was a politics-based analysis and commentary program hosted by Jennifer Granholm until February 7, 2013. The show ended on Current TV on August 15, 2013, with the end of all live programming on the network. *'' The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur'' was the TV edition of the internet news program The Young Turks. The TV edition ended on Current TV on August 15, 2013, with the end of all live programming on the network. The Young Turks continues with the main original online show. *'' Viewpoint'' was a nightly news and commentary program hosted by Eliot Spitzer until January 6, 2013, and later by John Fugelsang. The show ended on Current TV on August 15, 2013, with the end of all live programming on the network. *'' Joy Behar: Say Anything!'' was a nightly general talk/interview program show hosted by Joy Behar that ended on August 1, 2013, but remained airing with reruns until August 15, 2013.


Other programs

*'' Vanguard'' was Current's in-house journalism department, consisting of a team of young producers and correspondents who specialized in enterprising reporting on global issues. Vanguard was reorganized and merged into Al Jazeera America's documentary and investigative teams. As such, the final Current broadcast was a rerun of "The Oxycontin Express" documentary at 2:00pm Eastern time on August 20, 2013.


List of hosts

* Adam Yamaguchi – Vanguard correspondent * Amaya Brecher * Ana Kasparian co-host and producer of '' The Young Turks'' *Anthony Marshall * Angela Sun * Anne Foy * Ben Hoffman – later with Comedy Central * Brett Erlich – infoMania, Campaign Update, Viral Video Film School, co-host of the ''Rotten Tomatoes Show'', '' The War Room with Michael Shure'' *Bryan Safi * Cenk Uygur – hosted ''The Young Turks'' * Christof Putzel – Vanguard Correspondent continued with Al Jazeera America on America Tonight. * Conor KnightonInfoMania * Daniel Florencio – UK VC2 Contributor *Donna Ruko *Douglas Caballero * Elizabeth Chambers * Eliot Spitzer * Ellen Fox – co-hosted the ''Rotten Tomatoes Show'' * Gavin Newsom – hosted '' The Gavin Newsom Show'' * Gotham Chopra * Graeme Smith – later with Real Radio *Jael de Pardo *
Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...
* Jason Silva (of "Max and Jason") * Jennifer Granholm – hosted '' The War Room'' * Joe Hanson – Joe Gets, What's Wrong With * John Fugelsang * Joy Behar * Julia Hardy * Kaj Larsen – Vanguard correspondent * Keith Olbermann – '' Countdown With Keith Olbermann'' * Kinga Philipps * Laura Ling – Vanguard correspondent; detained by
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
in 2009; later with E! *Lindsay Barrasse (TheLindsayBoo)- freelancer/travel correspondence, WTF segment * Mariana van Zeller – Vanguard correspondent later with National Geographic * Max Lugavere (of "Max and Jason") * Michael Shure – appeared on '' The Young Turks'', also briefly hosted '' The War Room with Michael Shure''. Continued on Al Jazeera America and later at i24 News as a political contributor and remains on 'The Young Turks''. * Michelle Lombardo * Milo McCabe *Nick Carter – a.k.a. Murs *Nzinga Blake * Rowly Dennis * Sarah Haskins *Sergio Cilli * Shauntay Hinton *Zara Martin


Other reading


'Betting a Network on Youths Who Think' – ''New York Times'' article
August 22, 2005
Current TV at one year – Associated Press
, July 27, 2006
'The Other Man Behind Current TV' – ''Broadcasting and Cable''
About CEO Joel Hyatt, November 19, 2006

January 2007
Current TV makes its move -Gore promotes new network to overseas markets
''Variety'', March 12, 2007
Current TV's V-CAMs (Viewer Created Ad Messages) – ''Adweek''
March 12, 2007
Al Gore's Low Voltage Network
November 12, 2007
Interview with Robin Sloan, New Media Director at Current, Intruders tv
Video, April 2009

About the Global Online Town Hall organized by Time Warner Cable and Michael Franzini in partnership with Current TV


References


External links


International final signoff and conversion to Current TV

Final Sign off and conversion to Al Jazeera America


Archived on WayBack Machine from 14 October 2013.


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Current TV Television channels and stations established in 2005 Al Gore Al Jazeera Defunct mass media companies of the United States Defunct television networks in the United States Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Television channels and stations disestablished in 2013 2013 disestablishments in the United States