Winning Powerball Numbers
Radio Host Makes Shocking Claim About Shooting Hillary Clinton
Keith Olbermann has done time at ESPN, MSNBC, CNN and other media outlets. Now, he seems prepared to add a new employer to his resume.
Last night, Olbermann sent out a tantalizing tweet promising big news. But he may have been scooped: The New York Times says Olbermann is likely headed to Al Gore's Current TV. Olbermann, a source tells the Times, will have an equity stake in the channel.
Olbermann watchers have been eager to learn his career plans since he abruptly left MSNBC early this year.
Olbermann is a household name (at least, if you have a cable-news-watching, newspaper-reading, Twitter-friendly household). Current TV, on the other hand, is not terribly well known, though it's available in an estimated 60 million cable subscribers' homes.
So if you're not too familiar with Current TV, let us fill you in.
It was founded by Gore in 2005 but has struggled. Initially, programming was built around "pods" -- short shows, eight minutes or less -- many of which were submitted by viewers via Current TV's website.
"But it was almost immediately apparent internally that Current's programing strategy was not sustainable; the video was low in volume and, often enough, quality," Reuters writer Andrew Wallenstein said in a 2010 article.
In 2007, according to Wallenstein, Gore and his business partner Joel Hyatt tried to shop Current TV to potential buyers, including Google, but were unable to find anyone willing to pay the $500 million price tag. An initial public offering failed to materialize, too, something that the channel blamed on the market conditions.
So in 2009, there was a shake-up: Hyatt, who had been CEO, became a vice president, while Mark Rosenthal, a Current TV board member and a former COO of MTV Networks, replaced him at the helm.
Rosenthal has cut down on the bloated staff and nixed the "pods" -- an idea that worked much better for YouTube than for a TV channel. Big programming changes are expected this year, with more documentaries and more traditional shows. For instance, the channel has been airing repeats of "This American Life."
Sponsored Links
Current TV's last moment in the media spotlight came courtesy of an international incident, when two of its employees, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who both worked on the documentary show "Vanguard," were captured in North Korea in March 2009. They were held there, at one point sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, before they were released in August 2009 after former President Bill Clinton came to the so-called "Hermit Kingdom" to pick them up.When Lee and Ling came off the plane, their boss Al Gore was there to greet them.
Follow Surge Desk on Twitter.
Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
Issa Comes To White House Rescue
What Went Wrong? Gallup Shares New Details
Report: Iran Executes Men Convicted Of Spying For U.S., Israel
Police Investigate Student Shooting Death
Republican Warns Of Modern-Day Hitler Invasion
Gunmen Kill Prominent Female Politician In Pakistan
Pope: 'If Banks Fail It is A Tragedy, If People Die Of Hunger It's Nothing'
Did Broken Rail Cause Commuter Train Crash?
WATCH: Oxbow Dominates Preakness, Dashes Triple Crown Hopes
LA Doctor Gets 14 Years For This Horrible Promise
How Kidnapping Suspect Passes Time Behind Bars
Up To 60 Injured After Car Drives Into Virginia Parade
Colbert At U.Va.: You Owe The Previous Generation Nothing
Bill Maher Spoofs Tea Party Tax Forms
Targets In IRS Scandal Make Little Sense
Taxed More Than Their Income?
New Step Taken In Ricin Letters Case
New York Man Killed In Alleged Anti-Gay Hate Crime
These American Companies Refused To Sign The Bangladesh Safety Accord
Is Climate Change Increasing Tornado Intensity?
Jindal Makes Bold Claim Over Tea Party Targeting Scandal
North Korea Tests Missiles
VITO TO RESIGN MONDAY
Michael Kinsley Feels Your Pain, Middle Class, But Pain Makes You Beautiful
Al Qaeda Militants Killed In Drone Strike In Yemen
Obama Appears Unscathed By Unfolding Scandals
French President Signs Gay Marriage Into Law
Twitter Will Damn Your Soul, Religious Cleric Says
