The MSNBC Alumni Association

The Current TV lineup is starting to take shape, with another MSNBC alum joining up:

Cenk Uygur, the television and Web show host who left MSNBC in a messy public separation this summer, is joining MSNBC’s fledgling competitor, Current TV.

Starting sometime in the fourth quarter of the year, Mr. Uygur will host a show called “The Young Turks” at 7 p.m., serving as the lead-in for “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” the 8 p.m. liberal newscast that had its premiere on Current three months ago.

The move is the first by Current since it hired David Bohrman, a prominent former CNN executive, as the new head of programming and production last month. Current has been seeking like-minded programs to surround Mr. Olbermann’s in an effort to create a rival to the stable of liberal shows on the cable news channel MSNBC.

MSNBC’s 7 p.m. time slot is currently filled by replays of “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” an hour of political talk that is first shown at 5 p.m. MSNBC had no comment about Mr. Uygur’s hiring.

Is it my imagination, or has Rachel Maddow been even more awesomely geeky than usual recently? I suppose being a network's major star, combined with having a place to go if they lose their nerve and decide once again that Alan Keyes Is Making Sense is a great idea to bring in those oh-so-desirable teabagger viewers, gives one a great sense of freedom. And for the viewers, it gives us an even larger assortment of quality news/opinion programming. This is all good news in the age of the DVR.

So....with one web program moving to Current, how about this one being next?

Two can play this game

Even if on a smaller, more reliably progressive scale:

Keith Olbermann, the former top-rated host of “Countdown” on the news channel MSNBC, will announce his next television home on Tuesday, and people familiar with his plans pointed Monday to a possible deal with the public affairs channel Current TV.

Neither Mr. Olbermann, his representatives, or executives from Current TV would comment on the move, but they did not deny that the channel, which counts former Vice President Al Gore as one of its founders, will become at least one partner in Mr. Olbermann’s future media plans.

One of the people with knowledge of the plans said Mr. Olbermann would have an equity stake in Current TV. The people insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized by their employers to comment in advance of the official announcement.

On Monday a public relations agency hired by Mr. Olbermann scheduled a Tuesday morning conference call for an announcement about his next job. “He and his new partners will make an exciting announcement regarding the next chapter in his remarkable career,” the agency wrote in an e-mail.

Current TV has set up a presentation with advertisers for Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan to announce its future plans. The channel may be betting on Mr. Olbermann to put it on the cable map. The low-rated five-year-old channel needs the help. Targeting young people, it originally subsisted on YouTube-style submissions and video journalists. More recently it started producing and acquiring traditional television series, like repeats of “This American Life.”

If you were trying to decide whether to dump Comcast and switch to Dish Network, there's your reason right there.

The usual suspects will snicker about the smaller stage that Current represents, bringing in the inevitable Dan Rather comparisons. But anyone who has actually been watching Dan Rather on HDNet knows that Rather is still doing some damn fine journalism over there, while the networks continue to spend their time on Amanda Knox, Missing White Women™, Sarah Palin trademarking her name, and whether Lindsay Lohan stole a necklace. And if that is what network "journalism" has turned into, why NOT move to a smaller stage and try to turn it into a bigger one?

Besides, this gives Rachel Maddow a place to go when the suits at Comcast decide that the evening lineup at MSNBC should consist of It's Pat, with Pat Buchanan, Suckup Chucky with Chuck Todd, The John [Heileman] 'n' Mark [Halperin] Republican Toady Show, and Dave [Gregory] 'n' Karl [Rove]'s Rockin' Republican Party.

Today Cenk Uygur, tomorrow Sam Seder

Well, well, well...look who was subbing on the Ed Schultz show:

Now, I've never been a big Young Turks fan, and the extent of my familiarity with Cenk Uygur was him strutting around Yearly Kos 2007 with the other Big Boiz of Blogging. But I have to admit to feeling thrilled at seeing another veteran of progressive talk radio get some TeeVee exposure. More importantly, Cenk takes on that sleazy weasel Chris Van Hollen after NAILING the Social Security lie. As Gaius Publius notes, Van Hollen talks about opposing benefit cuts, but he doesn't say a thing about raising the age to the ridiculous levels adovcated by John Boehner. At a time when people over 50 constitute a large proportion of the "99-ers", deemed unhirable because of myths about our inability to learn and our health care expenses, I have to wonder at what jobs these corporate whores and bankster fellators expect us to work.

Good on Cenk here. More like this, please.