Current TV, or
Current, is a
mediaMass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
company led by former
U.S. Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Al GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and businessman
Joel HyattJoel Z. Hyatt is a prominent businessman and former attorney and American politician of the Democratic party. He is the founder of Hyatt Legal Services, and was featured in the law firm's television commercials speaking the slogan, "I'm Joel Hyatt and you have my word on it."Hyatt graduated from...
.
ComcastComcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC.
The Current
cable televisionCable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
network went on the air in the US at midnight EDT (4:00 UTC) on the morning of August 1, 2005. A second network, operated in the United Kingdom and Ireland started its operation March 12, 2007, for Sky in the UK and Ireland and on
Virgin MediaVirgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
in the UK. A third network, operated in Italy started its operation February 8, 2008, for
SKY ItaliaSky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian digital satellite television platform owned by News Corporation launched on 1 August 2003, when the former platforms TELE+ and Stream TV merged together...
subscribers and later for
33 is a brand name under which several UMTS-based mobile phone networks and Broadband Internet Providers are operated in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom...
subscribers. Current TV was launched in South Africa for satellite subscribers on the
TopTVTopTV is a South African satellite TV service that began broadcasting on 1 May 2010. TopTV is owned by On Digital Media, who were granted a pay-TV license by ICASA in September 2007. On Digital Media is 20% owned by TV satellite operator, SES Astra...
platform on 1 May 2010.
Launch
After the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore and Hyatt wanted to start a conventional cable news network. They were disenchanted with the existing networks. 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
Joel HyattJoel Z. Hyatt is a prominent businessman and former attorney and American politician of the Democratic party. He is the founder of Hyatt Legal Services, and was featured in the law firm's television commercials speaking the slogan, "I'm Joel Hyatt and you have my word on it."Hyatt graduated from...
, purchased cable news channel
NewsWorld InternationalNewsworld International was a cable TV news channel broadcasting in the United States, whose content contained a mix of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and other international newscasts. The channel reached about 20 million homes and provided its audience with the news from a variety of global...
(NWI) from Vivendi Universal for the express purpose of launching their new network with the space on some
digital cableDigital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
lineups (and
DirecTVDirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
) 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
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
,
MTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and
blipverts"Blipverts" is the first regular episode of the science-fiction television series Max Headroom.-Production details:"Blipverts" was the reworked version of the original "20 Minutes Into the Future" film. The only actor other than Matt Frewer to appear in both versions of the story was Amanda Pays ....
.
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.
On April 4, 2005, the former Vice President and business partner Hyatt announced that they had changed the name of the network from INdTV to Current. The new television network launched in the United States on August 1, 2005. Currently, Current is available in 30 million homes nationwide in the US, with plans underway for several international versions.
Yahoo! Current Network
On September 20, 2006, Current TV started a short-lived partnership with Yahoo 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 ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, was the Executive Producer for this project.
On October 6, 2006, a deal was announced with
British Sky BroadcastingBritish Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
to create a localized UK and Ireland version of Current TV to its satellite systems in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This version went live on March 12, 2007. The channel launched on Sky EPG number 229 (later moving to 183) and Virgin Media Channel 155 following a refreshed brand identity and advertising campaign developed by
HeavenlyHeavenly Group Limited, trading under the name Heavenly, is an independent branding agency founded by Richard Sunderland in 2002. The company is headquartered in London but services clients on a worldwide basis....
.
In 2007, Current TV started
video-on-demandVideo on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
service on Virgin Media.
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 AwardsThe 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
. This was the first year in which this Emmy was presented during the primetime broadcast. The award was presented by
Masi OkaMasayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese-American actor and digital effects artist.He has performed in numerous feature films and TV series, most prominently as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC TV series Heroes from 2006 until its cancellation in May 2010. He resides in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Oka...
of
HeroesHeroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
fame and
MySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
founder
Tom AndersonTom Anderson may refer to:*Tom Anderson , entrepreneur and co-founder of MySpace*Tom Anderson , former member of the Alaska State Legislature...
(through their own computers), and Al Gore and Joel Hyatt accepted the award on their behalf.
On February 8, 2008, it was announced that the network will be also available on the Italian
SKY ItaliaSky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian digital satellite television platform owned by News Corporation launched on 1 August 2003, when the former platforms TELE+ and Stream TV merged together...
satellite digital platform on channel 130. According to the official website, broadcast has started on May 8, 2008.
On June 6, 2008, it was announced that the network will be also available on the Italian 3
DVB-HDVB-H is one of three prevalent mobile TV formats. It is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to mobile handsets. DVB-H was formally adopted as ETSI standard EN 302 304 in November 2004. The DVB-H specification can be downloaded from the official DVB-H website...
mobile operator, as free of charge.
Current TV partnered with
TwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
for the 2008 Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates, allowing viewers watching the Current TV version of the debates to post live on Twitter and have their opinions shown on screen, live.
IPO plans
On 28 January 2009 Current Media Inc, revealed it intended to launch an IPO on the
NASDAQThe NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
to raise US$100 million (GB£67 million), but it told US regulators over Easter that it was scrapping the plan due to current market conditions. The company added that no securities had been sold and all activity regarding the proposed public offering 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 contentCanadian content refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from...
. The new service was planned to begin in fall 2009, pending approval by the Treasury Board, however those plans were put on hold later that year and as of June 2011 there are no plans to bring Current TV to Canada
In July 2009, Current TV, because of financial reasons and the failed IPO abandoned, did a series of changes. CEO Joel Hyatt resigned to a new Vice President position and was replaced by Mark Rosenthal, the former COO and president of
MTV NetworksMTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
, with a plan to reform Current TV to more traditional programing. Lisa Derrick of
The Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
predicted that Current TV would undergo a transformation similar to MTV's transformation, during Mark Rosenthal 1990s tenure at MTV, from MTV's multi-minute music video format to longer 30 minute/1 hour
reality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
programing. Ultimately its assorted pod format was discontinued in lieu of traditional 30 minute block programing. Some elements of the pod format survive 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 is not produced by Current in-house or by the VC2 system. Andrew Wallenstein of
The Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
predicts Current will 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 merger, Comcast Corporation submitted a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that revealed it owns a ten percent stake of Current Media LLC. 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 Zellar the journalist behind the story and Current. Current has also received a Headliner award. Around this time, a report by
ReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
on the network's ongoing problems suggested that it could have blossomed into something akin to
YouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
's video-sharing platform,
MSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
'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."
2011 major format changes
Beginning early in 2011, Current TV started implementing major changes in programming and personnel, beginning with the hiring of
Keith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
and the re-launch of his former
MSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
Program
Countdown. The network is beginning a long series of major program changes and will eventually develop a full schedule of news, opinion, and analysis programming from an independent progressive perspective.
- On February 8, 2011, Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
announced that he had been hired to host a new primetime show on Current TV as well as being named Chief News Officer with an equity stake in the network.
- In April 2011, Olbermann announced that his nightly program would retain the Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
title from his time at MSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
.
- On June 20, 2011 Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
relaunched Countdown with Keith OlbermannCountdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
on Current TV. The program airs M-F at 8 p.m. ET and is based out of NYC. Olbermann stated on The Colbert Report that Current TV was planning to make a nightly news segment consisting of his show and others that will launch later on Current TV.
- In August 2011, Current announced that it had hired former CNN Bureau Chief and SVP of Programming David Bohrman
David Bohrman is a television and new media executive, working in network television news, cable news, new media, internet, convergence and consulting. Bohrman created almost a dozen new TV news programs at ABC News, NBC News , CNN, and TechTV....
as the networks 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
Cenk Kadir Uygur , is the main host and co-founder of the liberal Internet and talk radio show, The Young Turks . A naturalized U.S. citizen, Uygur was born in Turkey and raised from age eight in the United States. He worked as an attorney in Washington D.C. and New York before beginning his career...
of internet-based TYT Network would be launching a TV edition of the internet news program The Young Turks in the 4th quarter of 2011. The program will be based out of Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and will air M-F at 7 p.m. ET before Countdown.
- On September 21, 2011, network president David Bohrman
David Bohrman is a television and new media executive, working in network television news, cable news, new media, internet, convergence and consulting. Bohrman created almost a dozen new TV news programs at ABC News, NBC News , CNN, and TechTV....
named Jason Odell as Executive Vice President of Technology. Odell has an extensive career at both CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, most recently known for inventing 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 U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
governor Jennifer GranholmJennifer Mulhern Granholm is a Canadian-born American politician, educator, and author who served as Attorney General and 47th Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, Granholm became Michigan's first female governor on January 1, 2003, when she succeeded Governor...
to host her own weekday prime-time program The War Room with Jennifer Granholm. The program will launch in January 2012 at 9 p.m. ET and will focus on the 2012 election season.
- On November 10, 2011, Current announced that The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur would premiere on Monday, December 5, at 7 p.m. ET.
Programming
- Vanguard
Vanguard is a television documentary series broadcast on the Current TV television network. Currently in its fifth season, Vanguard reports on such issues as the environment, drugs and the effects of globalization and conflict....
is Current's in-house journalism department, consisting of a team of young producers and correspondents who specialize in enterprising reporting on global issues.
- 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die
50 Documentaries to See Before You Die is a five-episode television series presented by Morgan Spurlock on the Current TV television network featuring what editors regard as the fifty of the most influential and/or important documentary films from the past 25 years.- "Life After Donkey Kong":* 50....
is a five-part series hosted by Morgan SpurlockMorgan Valentine Spurlock is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and journalist best known for the documentary film Super Size Me...
.
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
is a nightly news and commentary program broadcast from NYC featuring analysis and opinion on Olbermann's top stories of the day.
- The Young Turks
The Young Turks is a progressive Internet talk show via live web stream and YouTube, and starting in late 2011, a weeknight news and political commentary program airing on Current TV. It was Sirius Satellite Radio's first original talk programming. The Young Turks claims to be the first Internet...
with Cenk UygurCenk Kadir Uygur , is the main host and co-founder of the liberal Internet and talk radio show, The Young Turks . A naturalized U.S. citizen, Uygur was born in Turkey and raised from age eight in the United States. He worked as an attorney in Washington D.C. and New York before beginning his career...
launches on Monday, December 5, 2011, as a TV edition of the already-popular progressive internet news program. The program will originate from Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
studios.
- The War Room with Jennifer Granholm
The War Room with Jennifer Granholm is an upcoming news and political commentary program to be hosted by former Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm on Current TV...
launches in January 2012 and will be based out of Current TVCurrent TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
headquarters in San Francisco.
In
MayMay is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere...
2011, Current unveiled new imaging and a new logo.
Prior Programming
- infoMania
infoMania was an American half-hour weekly satirical news-show on the Current TV television network. The program was initially hosted by Conor Knighton and later Brett Erlich, with features by Ben Hoffman, Sergio Cilli, Bryan Safi, Erin Gibson, and Ellen Fox.-History:The program's executive...
was a weekly satirical news-show hosted by Brett ErlichBrett Erlich was a writer, producer, and host of infoMania, a comedic news show on the cable station Current TV, created by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart creator Madeline Smithberg and executive produced by David Nickoll...
.
2009 imprisonment of journalists by North Korea
The
North KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n military detained two American journalists working for Current TV in March 2009 after they allegedly crossed into North Korea from China.
"Two reporters working for a U.S.-based Internet news media outlet, including a
Korean AmericanKorean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
, were detained by North Korean authorities earlier this week, and they remain in custody there," said
YonhapYonhap News Agency is South Korea's largest news agency. It is a publicly-funded company, and based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap supplies domestic, foreign news and other information to newspaper, TV broadcast and other media in South Korea.-History:...
news agency, quoting an unnamed diplomatic source. Reports say that the journalists were both warned several times by the North Korean military, about crossing the border.
The two female journalists are Korean American
Euna LeeEuna Lee is a South Korean-born American journalist who has worked for Current TV since 2005. Lee and fellow journalist Laura Ling were detained in North Korea after they crossed into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from the People's Republic of China without a visa...
and
Taiwanese American Laura LingLaura G. Ling is an American journalist, working for Current TV as a correspondent and vice president of its Vanguard Journalism Unit, which produces the Vanguard TV series. She is the sister of Lisa Ling, who is a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer,...
of Current TV based in
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States. Lee is the editor of the news for Current TV and Ling is one of the agency's reporters. They were said to have been shooting a video of the border region of China and N. Korea when they were arrested at the
Tumen RiverThe Tumen River is a 521 km-long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea, and Russia, rising in Mount Baekdu and flowing into the Sea of Japan....
. Laura Ling is the younger sister of
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reporter
Lisa LingLisa J. Ling is a Chinese American journalist, best known for her role as a co-host of ABC's The View , host of National Geographic Explorer, reporter on Channel One News, and special correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN. She is the older sister of journalist Laura Ling.-Early...
.
"We're aware of reports that early in the morning of March 17, China time, two American citizens were taken into custody across the Tumen river by what appear to be North Korean border guards. We are working with Chinese government officials in that particular area to ascertain the whereabouts and welfare of the Americans in question. We've also been in touch with North Korean officials to express our concern about the situation," said
U.S. State DepartmentThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
spokesman, Fred Lash.
On March 30, the
Korean Central News AgencyThe Korean Central News Agency is the state news agency of North Korea and has existed since December 5, 1946. KCNA is headquartered in the capital city of Pyongyang...
(KCNA), the state news agency of North Korea, reported that preparations were under way for indictments and a trial, saying, "The illegal entry of US reporters into the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements." The two faced trial on June 4.
According to Kim Tae-woo of the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, “The journalists considerably weakened their government’s leverage against the North,” in ongoing negotiations over the DPRK's nuclear program.
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.
Stanford Law professor
Allen WeinerAllen S. Weiner, former Stanford Professor of International Law, is a senior lecturer in International Law at Stanford Law School, and co-director of the Stanford Program in International and Comparative Law and the Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation.-Awards:*State Department...
said that U.S. citizens are charged with crimes in foreign countries all the time, but: "The difference here is that we have grave doubts whether [the two journalists] have done anything wrong, or whether they were arrested because they were Americans." He added that "now we are finding ourselves asking the North Koreans for something when we were trying to increase international pressure on them. That big stick we're holding just got a lot smaller."
On August 4,
BBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
reported that they were pardoned amidst a visit by former U.S. president
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. They were released and returned home the following day. Upon flying home, they were greeted at an airport in
Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
.
External links
- Current TV official site
- Current TV on Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
Articles
- '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
- 'All Eyes on The Shins' – Wired Magazine, 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
- Current TV Tops 50 MM Subs – Multichannel News, 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