Ready, set, go!   Today, June 20, Keith Olbermann starts his new old show on Current TV.

Now on Al Gore’s user-gen channel, the former host of Countdown on MSNBC will henceforth reach 60 million US homes (plus 10 million in the UK and Italy).  That’s not chump change, but it’s still a not-so-shy 35 million less than his previous target primetime audience.

Still, if all goes well, Current’s young(er)-and-social audience will dig Keith enough for maximum ratings – plus help with viral promotion of the program across the online social sphere – which in turn would, yep, help boost viewership.

Current also hopes Olbermann’s name will help with new subscriber acquisition.  Using its new anchor as it’s #1 spokesman, Current is now asking anyone inside Cablevision’s Long Island TV market to campaign for Current TV carriage.

But Olbermann’s arrival at Current TV marks more than just a new show.  Both Countdown and Olberman’s new role as Chief News Officer role further moves the channel away from its original user-generated video roots, towards a (hopefully) capable alternative to existing cable news.

Not sure whether this means a definite end for Current’s initial viewer-submitted short-form video format?  With Olbermann’s arrival, there seems plenty room for an entirely new TV news format.  Let’s see what the new Olbermann / Current TV duo can conjure up.

Meanwhile, off we go with pre-launch coverage about Olbermann the *feuding co-worker* , the *larger-then-life egomaniac*, or Olbermann the *millionaire media mogul*.

Be it as it may, Countdown on Current promises to be every bit as informative and controversial as Olbermann’s previous gig.

PS: If you happen to be a Cablevision customer not wanting to miss out on Current’s Countdown, here’s how to reach out to be heard.

Former MSNBC political show host Keith Olbermann has just announced his new show will air on Current TV.

No secret – I have long been a fan of Current TV.

The S.F.-based (partially) user-generated cable programmer has long been on the forefront of innovative journalism.  Side by side viewer-created short “pod” submissions, Current has its own group of young vanguard journalists. Audiences help to determine at least part of what’s to air, most of which then gets plenty viral distribution up and down the participatory Web.

Next in, Keith Olbermann will be the first veteran broadcasters to join the citizen journalist crew.

It should be interesting to see if and how Mr. Olbermann and Current TV’s participatory media will blend to something greater than the sum of the individual parts.

AOL just paid $315 million for ‘uber blog’ The Huffington Post. Social network giant Facebook seems worth $50 billion. And global media powerhouse News Corp. relies on what’s likely the world’s most popular consumer electronics designer, Apple, as their next exclusive content distributor.

Clearly, the face and valuation of media continues to be in major flux.

In this highly dynamic environment, let’s see where Current and Olbermann can take things next.

Not that I want to harp much longer on my apparent screaming media fascination but hey, the past week has provided ample sound bites to back up my tongue-in-cheek theory.

You remember? South Carolina Republican House rep Joe Wilson hackles the US president during a major public speech, tennis-great Serena Williams looses it on the court, and rapper-extraordinaire Kanye West opts to rudely interrupt a major video awards show snatching the micro in the middle of a peer’s acceptance speech.

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Come to think of it, here’s a couple additional thoughts on my previous screaming media missive.

Both a recent Variety and Utne Reader article got me thinking again about this post-Walter Conkrite, post-Don Hewitt era of 24-hour noise channels.

In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek way, I believe my screaming media concept is indeed a deserving (albeit absolutely made up) label, as “yell TV” continues to spread far beyond its original cable roots.

First off there’s satellite TV of course, plus, increasingly, telecom-powered “broadband” IPTV. Other ways TV programming is being delivered to you and me these days includes an ever-growing number of mobile video services, media receivers, gaming consoles and Internet-connected TVs.

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Last week Glenn screamed at me again. So did Ed. An hour later Bill yelled at both me and his guests. What could I have possibly done to deserve this kind of treatment?

I know we’ve never really been friends per se, but these guys have been over to my house quite frequently. For years actually. When they are at your house, I suppose they are yelling at you, too?

Cynicism aside, the more television I watch these days the harder it gets to circumvent loud-noise anchors and their talking heads literally screaming out their parts.

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