Something Current About Current TV

Based on the May 2005 Ari Berman's article concerning the launch of Current in the May 16, 2005 edition of The Nation, I approached my DirectTV box with a bit of trepidation. I consoled myself in the fact that many of the writers for The Nation seem to pooh-pooh attempts to engage progressives/liberals through popular media (see "Calling Air America" by Nicholas Von Hoffman, The Nation May 23,2005). When your read Berman's article see if you get the impression that Berman is pissing on the station because he is really pissed at one of its founders, a certain guy named Al Gore.

Now I am not going to cancel my subscription or anything like that, hell I look forward to its arrival in my mailbox, its just something that irks me. Anyway I put on Current hoping I could give it a fair chance. What went passed my eyes was cornucopia of ideas, images, and messages. It took an hour or so for them all to sink in, it was kind of like what we all hoped MTV was going to become, instead of the Real World still-birth it became. It took me a couple of days of viewing but I realized I liked it, and then I figured out why. Its not the pretty young hosts, although they did help in my transition from regimented 30min- 60 min "regular" TV to the seemingly random viewing times and content.

This is viewer created TV. Now I am sure that the network screens for content: vulgarity, nudity etc. , but a lot of this is not light headed Flava of Love nonsense. I saw two intrepid young ladies cruise the border with Mexico interviewing ranchers and migrants. I watched another brave young women and her guide "touring" the expansive pot fields of North Africa. This was not fluff.

I saw a touching short documentary about two teenage lovebirds reunited sometime in their 80's, a 3 minute Flash animation mocking the Saddam trial, a music video for an up and coming band, I practically cried for this young girl of mixed Indian/ Chinese background talk about her families racism towards her. You can see all of this in just an hour of watching.

I am now officially a happy addict of this quirky new channel. Some stations on which you can catch Current:

Direct TV: 366

Time Warner Digital
New York City 103, Los Angeles 116, Honolulu 108

Comcast
S.F. Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Portland, D.C., Denver, Miami, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Aspen, Fresno, Jacksonville, South Bend, Spokane 125

I did mention young pretty hosts?
Photos are (l-r) Amaya Brecher & Jael De Pardo)