NEW YORK (AP) — From the point of view of C-SPAN, the 2024 presidential campaign begins this Friday. The network is sending its cameras to suburban Des Moines, Iowa, to tape former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking to a breakfast meeting of the Westside Conservative Club. Yes, the last election was less than five […]
The C-SPAN board of directors added several new members and elected Cox Communications President-CEO Pat Esser to serve as chairman at its annual meeting, held virtually in light of COVID-19 restrictions. Dave Watson, CEO of Comcast, who just completed a three-year term as C-SPAN executive committee chairman, assumes the role of vice chairman of the board. Phil Spencer, […]
On Monday before his rally in Sanford, Fla., President Trump ramped up his attacks on Fox News and promoted some competitors including C-SPAN and conservative outlets One America News Network and Newsmax. “@FoxNews allows more negative ads on me than practically all of the other networks combined. Not like the old days, but we will win even bigger than 2016. Roger Ailes was the GREATEST!,” the president tweeted.
Exclusives
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has rejected a request by C-SPAN to use some of its own cameras to cover the historic debate over articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, meaning that if there are any protests or disruptions they will not make it onto video screens across the nation and around the world.
C-SPAN coverage of a ho-hum congressional hearing usually features three cameras — one head-on camera for the chair; one for the witness; and another side camera for the committee members. There will be no standard operating procedure come Wednesday morning, however. C-SPAN will have seven cameras around the hearing room — two cameras for the chair and other members; two cameras for either side; one witness camera; and two high and wide cameras for that panoramic look. The additional cameras will enable C-SPAN to “better capture the interaction among everybody” in the room.
The cable channel, which recently celebrated the its 40th anniversary, is seeing its founder and chairman Brian Lamb retire. On May 19, Lamb will also finish his Sunday night interview program that he’s been hosting for 30 years.
Democrats and Republicans may be divided over the Mueller report and health care and immigration and climate change and campaign finance and, well, you get the idea. But one thing they can agree on is that C-SPAN is something of a national treasure.
Reflecting On C-SPAN’s Political Impact
On March 19, 1979, C-SPAN went live to a public audience for the first time. Since that day, when it debuted with four employees, the network has become a mainstay in American politics. The New York Times spoke with Susan Swain, one of C-SPAN’s two chief executives, about the birth of the network, Washington’s initial resistance to being caught on camera and how the network has adapted to the social media age.
We Need C-SPAN More Than Ever
Precisely at noon on March 19, 1979, six newly installed video cameras went live in the gallery of the House chamber for the first time. Washington was never the same. The network, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, which can now be seen in more than 90 million households, still gives us daily proceedings from the House and Senate chambers. It also lets us hear important issues explored in committee rooms, helps us size up candidates on the campaign trail, engages us with book authors and saves a seat for us at think-tank roundtables. It challenges us to think for ourselves, without the clatter of punditry.
C-SPAN Editorial Director Paul Orgel has been voted in as the next executive committee chair of the Radio and Television Correspondents Association. For the next year, he will serve as vice chair and begin his work as chair in 2019. As executive committee chair, Orgel has promised to work to ensure Congressional Radio-Television Galleries’ rights […]
C-SPAN: Why Having No Agenda Is Best
Steve Scully, 56, is the senior executive producer, political editor and on-air host for C-SPAN, where he has worked since 1990. He talks about being “the most patient man on television,” whether politics in America is broken, cameras in the Supreme Court and more.
In conjunction with Sunshine Week and timed for the opening of confirmation hearings for President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, the public affairs TV network C – SPAN asked strategic research firm PSB to examine public attitudes on several topics rela ted to the Court. Among the results: Fully three quarters (76%) say the court should allow TV coverage of its oral arguments, 15 percentage points higher than when PSB first measured this topic in June 2009.
Discovery Communications today announced that Susan Swain will join the company’s board of directors, effective December. Swain is co-CEO of multiplatform public affairs content distributor, C-SPAN. “Susan Swain has a proven track record of leadership at a highly respected multichannel media organization, as well as decades of accomplishments in strategic operations, consumer engagement and branding,” […]
Wednesday’s dramatic protest on the House floor over gun control was a powerful reminder of how dramatically the cable network’s role as the official chronicler of Congress has changed since its early years — and how technology has suddenly made C-SPAN less beholden to the congressional leaders who control its video feed inside the chambers.
C-SPAN today announced the promotion of three long-time managers to expanded leadership posts. Richard Weinstein becomes vice president of digital media. He will be responsible for strategy and operations related to C-SPAN’s online presence, including c-span.org and the C‑SPAN Archives. “Richard brings to his new role excellent management skills plus extensive editorial and C-SPAN mission depth,” […]
The proverbial elephant of the GOP primary season, Donald Trump, won’t be in the room on Monday night as most of his rivals answer questions at a Republican presidential forum in New Hampshire. Trump’s absence is the result of his annoyance with the sponsor and could make the New Hampshire event significantly different from the GOP debate being sponsored by Fox News later this week where Trump will be center stage.
C-SPAN is partnering with a handful of regional newspapers in early-voting states for a nationally televised forum with the Republican presidential candidates just days before Fox News Channel’s first scheduled debate. The network has invited all 17 of the GOP presidential hopefuls to the Aug. 3 Voters First Forum in New Hampshire. The move was prompted in part by Fox News Channel’s controversial decision to cap the number of candidates in its Aug. 6 debate at 10.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Farkas is used to his teenage daughters showing little interest in his work. After all, he is a producer at terminally unhip C-SPAN. This time is different. The girls are intrigued by some of the stories Farkas is finding for the public service network’s series on first ladies. The 35-episode […]
The cable network founder and executive chairman, along with the company he founded, will be honored at NCTA’s Cable Show 2012 in Boston.
Beginning April 1, the public affairs cable network’s founder will hand over management to Rob Kennedy and Susan Swain, while remaining as executive chairman.
