I’ve been super-busy so haven’t given the launch of Current TV as much attention as it deserves. The Al Gore-led network has exceeded my expectations so far.
Current TV is to the current youth generation what MTV was to the ’80s generation. It may not ultimately have the same impact, but I think it will — as a catalyst driving the widespread adoption and dissemination of grassroots video.
This is what MTV should be today, but isn’t.
Some of the creditable segments (do we really have to call them “pods”?) so far include a look at cliff-jumping (seen twice); Parkour, a silly pastime that involves jumpiing off of structures or natural landscapes (seen three times); egg donors; a couple of bands talk about their music; hip-hop in Surinam; how Joe Aleman, an ex-con, is working with HomeBoy Industries to turn LA gangbangers around; and breastfeeding (yes, the mom’s nipple was pixelated).
I could do without the mystic prattle of Deepak Chopra, who practically owns the mainstream media. But more than 80 percent of what I’ve seen is eminently watchable.
Would be cool if Current TV took a few more chances on cutting-edge or raw material that is marginalized by the mainstream media. Where are the poliitcal pieces from the far left or far right? Where are the trippy videoblogs we see on Ourmedia?
But Current is worth a look (it’s on channel 366 on satellite’s DirecTV). TiVo it to skip through the commercials and you’ve got one of the best viewing experiences this summer.
JD Lasica, founder of Inside Social Media, is also a fiction author and the co-founder of the cruise discovery engine Cruiseable. See his About page, contact JD or follow him on Twitter.
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