Universal Ramblings

Launched in 2005, the channel Current TV,is available in 51 million households. It had a net loss of $9.9 million and banked $63.8 million in revenue last year, up from 2006’s $7.6 million loss and $37.9 million in revenue. Executive chairman Al Gore drew more than $1 million last year from Current Media, which will list its shares on Nasdaq under the symbol of “CRTM.”

First, Current TV will feature a number of programming themes involving the word “current” and topics of self-interest, such as: Current Playlist (music), Current Party (debauchery), Current Parent, Current Gigs (jobs), Current Soul (religion), Current Travel — you get the idea. Content segments, imaginatively named “pods,” will be broadcast in lengths ranging from 15 seconds to five minutes. This is an interesting programming model, in that a five minute survey of spring break destinations could be informative in Current Travel, but a five minute survey of the major world religions in Current Soul is sure to be a hoot.

Current TV will be acquiring some of its programming from potential viewers uploading short videos. Paying a minimum of $250 for a 1 to 5 minute segment, Current TV is seeking to “collaborate with you to create the kind of TV you want to watch.” Potential videographers can upload short videos to Current Studio, where the slough and detritus of imagination, as well as the controversial, edgy, and uniquely creative will likely be discarded. According to the submission guidelines, Current TV is specifically not interested in “fictional narratives” and “experimental or art films better suited to film fests than TV.” Acceptable segments will be screened by staff, and may or may not be voted on through the Current TV website. Regardless, the end product will likely be homogenous, safe, and socially relevant for your average focus group of monied, center-left, bumper sticker activists.

The goal, Gore says, is to serve as a bridge between the Internet and TV by allowing people to customize what they watch. They can even produce what they watch through “Viewer Controlled Content” pieces submitted via the Internet.

Though viewers will influence content, Gore says his political views won’t, a point some have questioned. “The reality of the network will speak for itself. It’s not intended to be partisan. It’s not intended to be ideological.”

And though he may be a relative newcomer to the TV business, Gore has already learned how to stick to the corporate message, refusing to answer a question about Karl Rove because he was there to speak about Current. He was, however, willing to compare working on Current to running for president.

“It has been a blast. It has been so much fun. It is hard … but I feel like I’ve gotten my graduate degree in business.”