____ http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65O0HA20100625 Firstly, reading the comments at this link I can't help but wonder how many people are paid to go to sites with Al Gore articles and trash the man just for the hell of it. The immature political ranting is just too obvious. Anyway, as someone who has been participating on Current TV and Current.com since its first day(s) I have to honestly state that I am a bit disappointed with where it has gone the past couple of years. It appears the dilemma is one that Mr. Gore spoke about in his book, The Assault On Reason and it also appears his station has turned into the very model he used in the book illustrating what is wrong with the media which was not his original vision, and that is sad because it was/is a wonderful innovative vision. By hiring people from MTV however, what do you expect that Current will be turned into? But again, that also goes back to what makes money these days in order to stay afloat and it would seem that in order to do that you have to sacrifice quality because the predominant theory is that the American populace on the whole does not care about quality they care about entertainment, which actually proves the premise of Mr. Gore's book quite sadly and ironcially. However, I do not believe that is entirely true. When Current first came to be the material was fresh because it was for the most part viewer created content made by younger filmmakers looking for a way to be known and it was judged by participants who actually got to see their work firsthand and vote on it to be seen on tv. I think it was what helped grow this station and why the Emmy sits on your mantle. Combining tv and Internet in this fashion is truly innovative and unlike even what You Tube offers, and I was excited to be a part of it at that time. But unfortunately it is not the kind of material advertisers and sponsors which a station needs to create revenue to compete in the marketplace can use to build profits on longterm -or so they think. And of course, the competition from Internet outlets like You Tube severely cut into the staying power of that concept as the Internet has become a predominant media, even though it is said that TV will always remain the predominant media outlet. That may or may not be true but speaking for myself, tv is not my predominant media and I am not even within the demographic Current sought to appeal to. In my view, take away reality tv shows today and you lose viewers because I don't think many people watch tv these days because they think the shows are good. They watch it (1) out of habit (2) to be voyeuristic and escapist, hence the popularity of “reality” TV that at times is far from it and (3) to look for shows that educate and inform… Current could be the station people watch because they want to do so and because they find that information and education because I believe that is what people really want, which is why features like Vanguard should be expanded on by allowing viewers to be the reporters as well and that market and demographic sought more aggressively instead of always trying to appeal to the “entertainment tonight” mentality. I have to also state honestly that I think Mr. Gore keeping his distance from the station may have hurt it. He was part of the conversations in the beginning and it drew in viewers and participants and made people see he cared about where this station was going. I think a more hands on approach by Mr. Gore is now required with a revival of the viewer created content balanced with less “popular” entertainment. So my message to Al is this: You are the Chairman, not someone from MTV, and not those who are your detractors who seek to silence you and your vision. You have the power to bring this station/website to the vision you had when you first crafted this concept with Mr. Hyatt. As someone who has been here from day one, I strongly suggest you do this: Fire the MTV clones and bring the people here who want to help you see this station be a success and listen to those who are already here who wish that as well. There are also many bright, innovative, creative young minds out here making good film and tackling important issues. You can search them out and let them help mold a station of the future. Viewer created content and the feedback from it are the core of the “agora” you spoke of when this station was born. Your passion and vision about this was why I originally came here, and why I stay. It is unfortunate that the mentality of the average TV watcher isn't in tune with your vision. However, many of us are ( more than you know) and those of like mind will help you change direction and in the course of it, change the concept of how tv/Internet interaction can educate and empower instead of just being a habit or a babysitter. Please let us. I hope you will. Current is too innovative a concept to just give it up to the trappings of mainstream media. added by: JanforGore
