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February 12, 2012
 
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MPR sues Current TV

by Adam Finley, posted Feb 23rd 2006 3:16PM

al goreMost people know that public radio is a huge thing here in Minnesota. We are the home of Lake Wobegon, after all. Recently, Minnesota Public Radio filed a lawsuit against Al Gore's Current TV, claiming that internet users would confuse Gore's independent network with "The Current" a popular MPR-owned music station here in the Twin Cities. The lawsuit claims the radio station had already applied for a trademark of the name "Current" four months before Gore's new venture was changed from "INdTV" to "Current TV." Representatives from Current TV issued a statement noting that over 300 businesses use the word "current" in their name.

It's easy to dismiss this as just a frivolous lawsuit. After all, who's going to confuse a radio station with an independent TV network? What bothers me even more, though, is that public radio should be championing a TV network that eschews corporate news for citizen journalism. I would have expected MPR to support Current TV, not try to bring it down.

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Michael Heumann

This would matter as a news item if anyone actually WATCHED Current TV.

February 24 2006 at 12:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brent

I listen to The Current. The content is so much better, therefore they have the right to the name. Plus it came first.

And if you are saying MPR should support it, are you saying MPR is liberal? Well, don't answer that haha.

February 23 2006 at 9:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
C R

Current TV was also sued this week by a broadband over power line company with Current in its name. The fact that Current TV thinks their name is okay because 300 other companies have it in theirs is simply saying to me that they're copying 299 other copycats. MPR has a brand to protect, so they should do what they need to do.

That said, I'm looking forward to seeing what Gore's network will produce. This country needs an outlet that speaks for the other half of us. The right-wingers said Air America would fail too, yet the conservative listnership is declining while Air America's is increasing. Limbaugh, Hannity, et al may have more listeners total, but it's pretty clear which side of that trendline any sensible programmer would want to be on.

February 23 2006 at 8:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pudie

The Cuurent is an awesome station. Al Gore is a dumb ass.

MPR: 1
Al Gore: 0

February 23 2006 at 4:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
just some dude

That would assume that MPR operated in the public interest, and it assumed that Current TV would as well. While MPR is actually chartered to operate in the public interest, the need for corporate sponsorship dilutes this. And Current TV is of course a for-profit corporation, whose chief interest is to deliver value to its shareholders.

MPR might be justifiably worried that its corporate (and possibly even private individual) benefactors might find the value of their association with MPR's "The Current" if potential listeners thought that somehow they were connected with Al Gore's baby. I'm sure that MPR wishes Current TV no ill-will, they just would prefer they operate under a different name.

February 23 2006 at 4:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
maddr

"public radio should be championing a TV network that eschews corporate news for citizen journalism." Yeah right!?! Current TV is nothing but a 24/7 infomercial for the DNC and Liberal propaganda groups like MOVEON.ORG. No corporate involvement? Again, That's just plain silly, you will see plenty of Interest groups jockeying for news placement. It will fail.

February 23 2006 at 4:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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