'Current' TV Likened to Blog TV
By now, you've all heard Al Gore is behind the year old operation called Current, formerly known as INdTV. The thrust of the new cable network, to be piped via cable to 20 million homes in August, is people-produced content. The network, through its Current Studio, will provide support to those who wish to create content which will be segmented into Current Soul, Current Gigs, Current Fashion, Current Lies, Current Tech as well as news supplied by Google.
Nick Mathisen, writing on The Ill Quill, likens this approach to blogging and calls it Blog TV. It's an apt analogy and Current is enabling the spread of consumer-created content to another medium: television. While it's unlikely the country will completely ween itself from the likes of 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Lost' or 'Grey's Anatomy' but the content offered through Current will be dramatically new, different and certainly intriguing. And no, just like the Internet, Al Gore did not invent Current either.
Comments
Concerning the replacement of Newsworld International with Current TV: I live in the very middle of Georgia, and I'm 18, but I'm a "bleeding-heart" Libertarian, as some may put it. I mean, the only time that I ever watch an American news network is when there's, literally, no other choice (as in when I'm somewhere where there's no Directv or digital cable, or when I was in Germany visiting my sister, who is in the Army but was most recently transferred to Fort Benning).
Thus, when I read that NWI was going off of the air, and was being replaced by Current.tv, my heart was in my throat, almost literally.
I mean, I've relied upon this network as my international news and documentary staple, since I'm a junkie for the stuff in the same way as one can be a reality show junkie or conservative radio show addict. So while Current.tv may become a new face within the news arena, and its approach toward news media may become more embraceable over time (following August 1 at 12:00 AM), I can honestly say that I will sorely, sorely miss Newsworld International in its wake.
It introduced me to the CBC, as the Internet and streaming media have both introduced me to CBC news online (which, I hope, CBC develops into a fullscale operation in the event of NWI's demise). It introduced me to another view of the world at large and of the United States (and Canada) in particular. I saw things on NWI that I could never have imagined seeing on any other US network, in ways that were unique, and very much so, to this network. I mean, CNN, Fox News, none of them (except for PBS/NPR, which I hold in exceptionally high regard alongside CBC) can compare to NWI in the handling and analysis of the day's news, and probably never, ever will.
I will mourn NWI's passing, and I will embrace Current.tv with a glass of water to wash it down with. It has already said that it will direct its content toward the 18-34 crowd, so I'm very wary about this new network, as it is, by its own expression, not meant to be for all who may want to watch it, as I believe NWI do have been. You already have the MTV Networks catering to this crowd, so honestly, what's the need for Current.tv?
As you can tell, I already have my prejudgements set. This looks like another episode within the veins of the replacement of TechTV (another favorite of mine) with that BS network known as G4TV.
I am a 39 year old Austrian, living in Los Angeles and NWI has been my main source of valuable news from around the world. The fact that NWI is going to be shut down feels like a slap in the face. I did not only enjoy NWI's great news coverage but their special reports as well, for example "Special Assignment" with Bill Cunningham. This great TV station showed a lot of aspects in a different angle than other US-TV stations, which very often confuse journalism with sensationalism and news-facts with politically opinonated pseudo-facts.
I agree with Harry on both Tech TV and NWI
with more channels added to digital cable(here in NYC over 1036 as of last week, every day I really can find no logical reason for this "content hijacking" with regard to Tech TV and now NWI...
In NWI's case I really believe that there is an effort being made to keep a Canadian viewpoint from being so easily accessable. BBC America is a watered down and politically localised shadow of itself in Europe and the rest of the world. If the Canadians have ti get blasted by our garbage why cant we have easy access to thier points of view.
Perhaps Canada should invest ..as China has with CCTV9 in providing us with another option, thou CCTV 9 is rather Bland but interesting at times.
Once again, they have removed an station offering intelligent programming (NWI) and replaced it with senseless dribble (Current TV). Not all Americans watching TV are mindless idiots. NWI was the ONLY source of "non-sanitized for your protection" news Americans had and now it's gone.
The Current TV programming is far inferior to NWI and assumes all young people are shallow and clueless.
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Nice comments about NWI, it isnt that Current tv came about the fact of the matter is that it is replacing the only news coverage that was informative and objective. Newsworld International was our only source for broadcasts outsice the states. I am sad and was shocked when hearing about their departure.
Is it me, or does it seem like Current TV thinks that their target audience of 17 - 34 year olds is shallow and stupid? Or maybe since I'm 35, I'm outside the window & have different priorities... I am so sad that they they replaced excellent, international NEWS with snippets on suicide and being a newlywed...
My wife and I agree with the other comments about the demise of NWI and it's replacement with Current TV. (And we voted for Al Gore.)
We need other sources of news and opinion that are not controlled by the American media. Let's hope that CBC can put together another network that U.S. cable companies will carry.
As a protest, I asked my Cable provider to put a BLOCK on Current TV from being shown in my household. Hopefully that will actually nudge them to drop the station. I'm not supporting Al Gore's new CurrentTV in any way shape or form! I want my NWI , Newsworld International - Back!
I am 49 and I live in North Carolina. I'm not the Current TV target, but if I was, I'd be insulted. They really must think you're incredibly stupid, shallow and can't sit still longer than seven minutes, but that you love seeing things over and over again. That sounds an awful lot like "Teletubbies."
Frankly I felt very insulted about that change from my educational and informative NWI to those never-ending crappy shows they are now calling currentTV. Because we are living in a free country, the government could not close NWI for its worldwide perspective in the news. But somebody with no good sense found a way to close the only reliable news network in the Nation. It is a fact that NWI did not have many business endorcements in corporate America, but we, the people did enjoy NWI and just can't wait for NWI to come back to our TV networks.
Watching current tv is so utterly painful that I dropped it. CBC news was my window on the world (being a Caunuck expat).
Directv carries stations from around the world. But not any Canadian Content. This mystifies me.
We aagree with others tha twe miss NWI very badly. That was the only channel which we were depending for news. It was full of inforamtion and now we feel suffocated with this american news channel where the world news is for 80 secs for the entire day. even the BBC America is not showing BBC news which is really sad part.
We are eagerly waiting for NWI to come back in some form.
I heard that it was announced that NWI is coming back on the news during the week of 1/7/08.