Current TV on Wednesday announced they’ve tapped comedian and TV personality John Fugelsang as the network’s newest primetime host. The show is still being developed and will premiere in the fall.
Fugelsang, as Current pointed out in its release, last made television waves as the man who got Mitt Romney campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom to admit to the campaign’s “Etch-a-Sketch” strategy on CNN.
He’s the latest hire among several entertainment-focused personalities at Current, including Stephanie Miller and Joy Behar. The network’s other hosts, including Jennifer Granholm and Eliot Spitzer, are more traditional political commentators. What all the hosts have in common, though, is that they have “something to say,” said David Bohrman, president of Current TV.
“TV news or politics doesn’t have to be ‘eat your vegetables’ all day long,” Bohrman told TPM, adding that even Bill O’Reilly’s and Sean Hannity’s shows on Fox News are entertaining.
Fugelsang’s show will likely be an hour, Bohrman said, hinting that it could be in a later time slot during primetime. Current may tweak its schedule once all the prime-time shows are set, he added. “Programs need to be appropriate to the time of day.”
David Taintor
David Taintor is TPM’s News Editor. He contributes to TPM’s Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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