An Auspicious Day in Broadcasting

August 1st marks a couple of milestones in broadcasting. First of all, it's the 17th anniversary of the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh radio show, which I have enjoyed listening to since about 1991. I remember well the first time I heard Rush. I talked about that experience in my "Why I Blog" posting:

In 1991 I was driving to Beverly Hills with a Democrat colleague of mine when he suggested that we listen to some "crackpot" radio. I had never listened to talk radio before, and as we traveled down the freeway listening to Rush Limbaugh, a strange realization came over me. Rush was repeating everything I believed. If this was "crackpot" radio, I apparently was a "crackpot".

Some of you will undoubtedly agree that I'm a "crackpot", but as it pertains to the Limbaugh show, I wear that designation proudly.

There will be another August 1st broadcasting anniversary (if it lasts long enough to make it through the first year) - Al Gore TV! Today marks the debut of Current TV, the new broadcasting venture brought to you by the inventor of the internet.

Much of the talk around Al Gore's new Current TV network has been broadly philosophical, like the former vice president's statement that "we want to be the television home page for the Internet generation." With its debut Monday, Current TV will be judged by the same mundane standards as other networks — on whether its programming can hold a viewer's interest.

Gore and his fellow investors envision Current as a sounding board for young people, a step beyond traditional notions of interactivity. They want viewers to contribute much of the network's content now that quality video equipment is widely available.

Based on material previewed on its Web site, Current at first glance seems like a hipper, more irreverent version of traditional television newsmagazines.

I'm probably not hip enough to enjoy Current TV, so I think I'll skip it.