Current Blames Economy For No IPO... But, Lack Of Profitability May Have Been A Bigger Issue

from the let's-get-real dept

Last year, when Al Gore's Current Media filed to go public, we couldn't figure out how it could possibly have a successful IPO, unless it came from the strength of Al Gore's name alone. The company wasn't profitable, wasn't receiving very much buzz, didn't seem to do anything all that unique, and its big plans to be a cable channel "for the internet age" hadn't been very successful (the internet stuff was a failure, almost all revenue came from the pure cable side). So, now that the IPO has been canceled, the company is conveniently blaming the economy, but you have to think that the company's actual prospects had even more to do with it than anything else. If the company had actually been doing well, I'd imagine it would actually be a good time to go out, as those with money actually are looking for decent buys.

Filed Under: al gore, ipo
Companies: current media

Al Gore Throws Hat Into The IPO Ring...

from the not-quite-what-some-were-expecting dept

While there's still some speculation about an Al Gore run for the presidency, it appears he's got bigger fish to fry, such as an IPO for his cable TV station Current Media. Honestly, it looks like a tough sell as an IPO. It's not profitable. There are some serious questions about how viable a business it can be, and its "unique" angles, such as embracing the internet, haven't been all that successful (almost all of its revenue still comes from the TV side). If it succeeds as an IPO, it may be entirely on the strength of Gore's name, which seems like the opposite of what the company should want at this point.

Filed Under: al gore, cable tv, ipo, losses
Companies: current media