Member Avatar for Danny

There has been a lot of hype about former Vice President Al Gore’s revolutionary television network – Current_. In late July, Current_ went live after being anticipated since early April.

The network is said to be like no other TV network around; it’s not news, it’s not fiction, and it’s "not boring." Using short video segments of 1-5 minutes, current_ aims to keep a tech savvy audience interested and informed.

Shows are ‘Drippy’
But is it all that its cracked up to be? The answer is yes, and no. I tuned into current on DirectTV (channel 366) to see it for my own eye. Although I was initially impressed, I grew bored quickly.

Current_ makes me feel funny, not in a “Japanese seizure-bot way, more of a “confused and lost feeling. The short video segments I watched were interesting, but rather pointless and unimportant. Here’s a thought:

I watched a short film about an African-American model who shaved her head for a distinct look. She, with the help of her photographer, scored a gig posing for a Nike ad. Then the segment was over. Am I interested? Yes – it enlightened me. But do I care? Not really.

On the other hand, I like the idea of non-fiction television programs being broken down into small segments, and I think it could either make or break the new network. The advantage, of course, is the benefit of never watching the same bad segment for too long. Negatively, it can be hard for producers to make strong programs in such a short time frame.

Google Goes Current
Google’s deal with Current_ was extremely innovative, and I can see it spreading to other television stations with time if it pans out well. Every half hour, a geeky-looking figure jumps on the screen lecturing about the most clicked on news stories. Using feed from Google’s Zeitgeist, the network aims to have popular updated news in a short, edible
format.

On the contrary, a news ticker would probably be just as effective, as 10 second news briefs are somewhat annoying. I won’t be turning to Current_ for my news.

Cool Studio, Bad Anchors
Narrating the network is a small team of attractive but phony hosts. Placed in a state of the art looking studio modeled after the Chemosphere in Hollywood. The studio looks cool, but I can’t stand the anchors which remind me of aspiring Ryan Seacrests’ – which frankly scares me.

One aspect of the network that I do give Kudos to, is the idea of allowing average users to send in video. Current_ says it will pay up to a thousand dollars per video segment for video uploaded on its website, and it’s asking average users to send in their footage.

Maybe I didn’t give Current_ enough time – or maybe it simply needs work. All new networks need some time to iron out the kinks. Hopefully for Mr. Gore, this will work as well as his last technology venture did.

Interested?
Check out Current_ for yourself. Here are the current carriers of Current_:

DirecTV (Nationwide) 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 (Atlanta) 287 (Cleveland, St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, Lansing) 107 (Los Angeles) 255

  • 1 Contributor
  • 1 Reply
  • 262 Views
  • 1 Day Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Danny

Dani AI

Generated

’s hands-on take nails the basic tension: short segments can surface interesting moments but still feel thin without context. The format works when every clip is a deliberately shaped micro-story, not a trimmed fragment. The notes below focus on practical things creators and curators can do right away to make short non-fiction feel satisfying rather than “drippy.”

For contributors — a short checklist to make a 1–5 minute piece hold up:

  • Lead with a single, clear premise (one sentence).
  • Hook in the first 5–10 seconds with a surprising image or line.
  • Tell one idea; skip subplots. Give that idea a tiny arc: setup, evidence, payoff.
  • Show, don’t tell: compact b-roll and a short, concrete example beat broad generalities.
  • Prioritize clean sound, steady framing, and readable captions. Bad audio ages worse than imperfect video.
  • Include a 1–2 line logline, a few tags, and contact info so curators can place your clip in context.

For producers and programmers: curate to create depth. Group related shorts into themed blocks or follow a recurring mini-series so viewers get repeated context over time. Let subject-matter people speak plainly rather than polishing every host into a generic personality; authenticity builds trust faster than slick presentation. Use the web to link longer versions or background material so short TV pieces point to depth rather than pretending to be complete.

A few quick cautions: secure releases for people on camera and clear rights for music. Label original footage and provide a short master file for re-edits. For viewers who find single clips unsatisfying, look for grouped segments or recurring contributors — that’s where the format actually shows value.

Member Avatar for Danny

Correction: Current does not run Google News updates every 30 minutes, rather Google updates, which range from top searches to most clicked on news items.

In addition, featured uploaded video segments are available here.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.