Current TV began as a cable news network owned by Al Gore, Ronald Burkle, and Joel Hyatt. Comcast and DirecTV also had a small share. Current TV eventually morphed into 15 minute segments consisting of user-generated content. Yahoo partnered with Current TV for a short time. The channel soon became a political and independent news network.
Over time, Current TV ran into financial trouble. Al Jazeera Media Network purchased Current TV in 2013 (for nearly $500 million) and it became a news channel titled Al Jazeera America. Al Gore was skeptical about making the sale. Eventually, Al Gore sued the buyers for not making the full payment.
In 2009, North Korea held two journalists working for Current TV for illegal entry into the country. The two went to trial and were given twelve years of hard labor. Bill Clinton visited North Korea and was able to get the two prisoners pardoned after having spent almost five months in captivity.
Current's first live nightly news program was hosted by Keith Olbermann. There were a number of other shows, other hosts, and documentaries as well. There were many format changes and channel line up changes, too. The San Francisco office is still in use by Al Jazeera Media Network.
