Current TV Gets New CEO, Co-Founder Hyatt

Just months after making one of the network's biggest programming deals, Mark Rosenthal, chief executive officer of Current TV, is leaving the company.

The former MTV and senior media agency executive is being replaced by co-founder and vice chairman Joel Hyatt, who takes over as CEO. Rosenthal came to Current TV in July 2009, succeeding Hyatt as chief executive officer.

Rosenthal was responsible for bringing in Keith Olbermann, a major change for the upstart news service. Olbermann, who holds the title of chief news officer, came aboard on June 20 with "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" after a long run on MSNBC.

The statement from Current TV:

"During Mark's tenure, Current has become a focused cable network with a world class leadership team, a new brand identity, a move toward long-form, ratings-driven factual programming and a solid foundation for growth."

"These results helped pave the way for Current's recently successful launch of "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" and the network's major strategic shift to become a political commentary and news analysis network, with a clear, progressive point of view."

Before Current TV, Rosenthal was vice chairman/president of media platforms of West Coast media agency Spot Runner. Previously, he held the chairman/CEO post at Interpublic Media, the Interpublic Group of Companies' media operations division. He was also president/chief operating officer of MTV Networks.

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