Al Gore to receive honorary International Emmy award

Al Gore will receive an honorary International Emmy award recognizing his role in launching the interactive Current TV channel.

Photo: Al Gore to receive honorary International Emmy award

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said this week that it will present the award to the former vice president in a Nov. 19 ceremony in New York.

The Founders Award is presented to a person or organization "which crosses cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity," academy president Bruce Paisner said in a statement.

"We in the media industry are honored that one of the world's leading political figures has joined our global community of broadcasters," Paisner said.

Gore co-founded Current TV in August 2005 for young, technologically savvy viewers. The cable network's programming consists of short documentaries and viewer-created content.

Current TV reaches about 40 million homes in the United States, and was introduced to another 10 million homes in Britain this month.