Veteran TV news and entertainment producer Steve Lange will executive produce The Young Turks With Cenk Uygur, coming to Current TV on Monday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. ET.
Lange joins Current and Cenk Uygur, also an executive producer on the series, from his boutique production company, Steve Lange Productions. Rounding out the newly-named production team are senior producer Roland Woerner and series director Genji Keen. Uygur, a radio and Internet talk show host ("progressive politics with an edge") and former MSNBC contributor, joined Current TV after his MSNBC show was controversially dropped after a brief run.
"Steve, Roland and Genji all share Cenk's passion for telling it like it is," Current TV president David Borhman said in a release.
"This is a seasoned group of television veterans who bring years of expertise to the table and will be able to deliver a first-class, multi-platform production, live, each and every night. We couldn't be more pleased about having them join the Current TV family as we launch an ambitious roster of nightly programming that is sure to be a conversation starter in the coming election year."
Prior to running his own production company, Lange was VP of Content for KNBC in Los Angeles where he oversaw all local content of on-air, online digital and mobile platforms. Before joining NBC's LA affiliate, Lange was executive producer at Weller Grossman, responsible for more than 1,000 hours of programming. Before that he executive producer for entertainment news magazine Extra, where his leadership led to a double-digit ratings increase and the show being ranked #1 among the syndicated news magazines. With roots in local news, he began his career at KNBC in Los Angeles and then moved to WCBS where, as executive editor, he managed all content, coverage and production. He then served as director of news for Chicago's WBBM where he helped re-launch and rebrand their local news broadcast.
An Emmy-nominated producer and writer of long and short-form news, entertainment, and political content for the broadcast networks, Roland Woerner joins Current from CBS Television Distribution where he was a producer for their syndicated fare, Swift Justice with Nancy Grace and Judge Joe Brown, Current TV said. Previously, Woerner was supervising producer for MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews and senior producer for the show's coverage of the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns as well as 2008 Republican and Democratic conventions and the presidential debates. Earlier he was a senior field producer for NBC's Today where he conceived and produced first-ever live television broadcasts from challenging locations like theme parks, skydives, and remote areas of the world, according to Current TV. He also contributed segments to NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC.
Genji Keen's in-studio and live event experience over the past 15 years includes directing stints for KTLA, G4, E! Entertainment, Versus and TechTV.
For a Young Turks trailer, click this link.
