CEOs in Technology

SAN FRANCISCO, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Current Media, the award-winning participatory multiplatform media company, has selected cable industry veteran Mark Rosenthal as the company's new CEO, it was announced today by company co-founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt. Rosenthal, former CEO of Interpublic Media and President and COO of MTV Networks, will be charged with the ongoing domestic and international expansion efforts of the company.

The announcement comes on the heels of four years of explosive growth for Current Media under the direction of former CEO and newly named Vice Chairman Joel Hyatt. The youngest television network ever to win an Emmy Award(R), Current TV recently passed the 60 million cable and satellite television household mark in April, and the successful launch and explosive growth of Current.com enjoys over 7 million unique visitors each month. Current's hit investigative journalism show Vanguard was nominated this week for its third Emmy Award(R) for Best News & Documentary program.

"Mark Rosenthal has been a vital and valued member of the Current Board since its inception," said Al Gore, Chairman and co-founder of Current Media. "Joel and I are thrilled to have him join our senior team to accelerate Current's growth and success. His experience building some of the world's most successful cable television networks, advertising and new media companies is the perfect addition to our team as we open new opportunities for Current's domestic and international expansion."

"Al and I look forward to working with Mark Rosenthal in his new capacity as CEO," said Joel Hyatt, co-founder and newly named Vice Chairman of Current Media. "Mark shares our passion for reinventing journalism, which Al and I are committed to doing at Current. While Mark focuses on building the business, Al and I will continue to work on new innovations and initiatives that serve to democratize the media and enable more voices to be heard."

"I am grateful that Al Gore and Joel Hyatt have offered me this opportunity," said Mark Rosenthal, newly named CEO of Current Media. "I have worked with them closely as a member of the Company's Board for over four years. They are phenomenal leaders, and have built a terrific company. I believe Current has very significant opportunities to become even more valuable and important. Under Al and Joel, Current has provided real thought leadership to the media industry. And the business has been built on a solid financial foundation from which I am confident we can grow substantially. The most fun I have ever had in my career has been building cable networks from the early stage of their development. I am delighted to have the opportunity to do that again working with Joel, Al and the rest of the great team at Current."

Rosenthal, who will assume his new duties on July 27th, brings more than 25 years of proven media success to Current Media. For nearly a decade, as President and Chief Operating Officer of MTV Networks, part of Viacom, Rosenthal was a leader in growing and extending the reach of that company's world-class media brands, both geographically and into areas such as films, consumer products and the Internet. During his tenure, revenue and earnings from the company's operations more than tripled as MTV Networks' 100+ television channels grew to reach 400 million households in 164 countries around the world. He also helped lead the execution and integration of acquisitions that added brands such as Comedy Central, VIVA, Spike TV, mtvU, Country Music Television, and Noggin to the MTV Networks franchise.

After MTV, Rosenthal was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Interpublic Media, part of the Interpublic Group, one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies. In this position, Rosenthal oversaw all of Interpublic's worldwide media operations, including Initiative, MAGNA Global, Universal McCann and a number of leading specialist media agencies, with capabilities that ranged from programming and content development to interactive, retail and media barter.

Rosenthal comes to Current Media from Spot Runner, where he recently held the position of Vice Chairman and President of Media Platforms.

About Current Media

Current Media is an award-winning participatory multiplatform company dedicated to the in-depth investigation and exploration of the world's most important, interesting and entertaining stories. The company is comprised of Current TV and Current.com, the first fully integrated online and broadcast platforms that help users determine the news and information that is relevant to them. Current connects its audience with what's going on in their world through its unique blend of original productions and viewer-created media, offering programming and content that's authentic, often surprising and consistently compelling.

Current is now viewed in the U.S., U.K., Italy and Ireland in more than 60 million households through distribution partners Comcast (Channel 107 nationwide), Time Warner (nationwide), DirecTV (channel 358 nationwide), Dish Network (channel 196 nationwide), Verizon, AT&T, BSkyB (channel 183), Virgin Media (channel 155) and Sky Italia (channel 130).

More information is available at http://www.current.com.