Article
January 26, 2009
Former BSkyB Controller Joins Current.
Current, has appointed former Sky Controller James Baker to the newly created position of General Manager, UK.
Baker joins Current from investment fund Fleming Media where he focused on developing new IP opportunities across multiple platforms.
Previously, Baker held several senior positions at BSkyB, which he joined in 1996 as Head of Programming. In subsequent years he was promoted to Controller, Sky One, Sky Two and Sky Three before taking on the position of Managing Director, Sky Networked Media, responsible for web, mobile, interactive TV and broadband content strategy.
Commenting on the appointment, Joanna Drake Earl, Chief Operating Officer of Current, said: “Current’s approach toward the creation of media for and with a young adult audience is unique in both strategy and execution. James’ exceptional passion and diverse experience make him perfectly suited to oversee those elements, while guiding our operations in the United Kingdom as we continue to innovate both online and on TV. We’re thrilled that he’s joined the Current team.”
Baker, added: “”There’s no network in the marketplace with more potential than Current – that’s why I’m so delighted to be taking the opportunity to work with the team. As so many other channels battle against the slow incursion of online content and consumption, Current is shaping up to embrace a truly multi-platform future, where online and TV are fully linked, and users are given the opportunity to actively drive the direction of the network.
“This doesn’t just provide viewers and web communities with a dynamic and rewarding experience, but also gives enlightened advertisers and commercial partners the opportunity to engage in smart, targeted and fully integrated campaigns – working directly with the Current production and marketing teams. ”
Notes To Editors:
Current is a cross-platform media company that works with its young adult audience to create and distribute media that informs, enriches and inspires. 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 young adults with what’s going on in their world through its unique blend of citizen journalism and viewer participation, offering programming and content that’s authentic, often surprising and consistently compelling. Current pioneered the television industry’s leading model of interactive viewer created content (VC2) that comprises roughly one-third of Current’s on-air broadcast. The network has also advanced advertising models via Viewer Created Ad Messages (VCAMs). Current is now viewed in the U.S., U.K., Italy, and Ireland in more than 58 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). For more information, please visit http://www.current.com. Current Press Contact: [email protected]