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| Type | cable television network |
|---|---|
| Branding | C-SPAN |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | United States, online (via c-span.org) |
| Owner | National Cable Satellite Corporation |
| Launch date | March 19, 1979 |
| Official website | c-span.org |
C-SPAN (the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network) is an American cable television network dedicated to airing non-stop coverage of government proceedings and public affairs programming.
In addition to C-SPAN Radio and the C-SPAN website, C-SPAN is made up of several television channels:
- C-SPAN features live coverage of the House of Representatives
- C-SPAN2 covers the Senate and airs Book TV on weekends
- C-SPAN3 covers other live events and airs archived historical programming
The bulk of C-SPAN's operations are located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., but they also maintain archives in West Lafayette, Indiana at the Purdue Research Park.
History
Brian Lamb, C-SPAN's chairman and CEO, conceived of C-SPAN while working at the Cablevision company. It was created as a cable-industry financed, non-profit network for televising sessions of the US Congress. It receives no funding from any government source and does not sell sponsorships or advertising. It strives for neutrality and a lack of bias in its public affairs coverage.
C-SPAN first went on the air on March 19, 1979, broadcasting a speech by then-congressman Al Gore. C-SPAN2, a spinoff network, covers all live sessions of the U.S. Senate and went on the air on June 2, 1986, with the original channel then focusing on the House. The latest spinoff, C-SPAN3, began broadcasting on January 22, 2001, and shows other government-related live events along with historical programming from C-SPAN's archives.
On October 9, 1997, C-SPAN launched C-SPAN Radio, which broadcasts on WCSP 90.1 FM in Washington, D.C.. The radio station, which is also available on XM and Sirius satellite radio, covers similar events as its sister TV networks, often simulcasting their programming.
All three video channels, plus the radio channel, are globally available through streaming media via the C-SPAN web site. Additionally, some programs are archived on the Internet for weeks or for longer times.
On February 12, 2003, C-SPAN launched the Amos B. Hostetter Distance Learning Program with the University of Denver. Steve Scully, Political Editor and Chair of Communication, instructs the course from the C-SPAN center in Washington, D.C. and features prominent guests in politics and journalism who can field questions live to students in Denver over 1,500 miles away. Soon after, the program was also expanded to Pace University.
September 24, 2004: C-SPAN's Community is "temporarily closed".
Coverage
In addition to live coverage of House and Senate proceedings, the three channels air government hearings, press conferences and meetings of various political, media, and non-profit organizations; book discussions, interviews, and occasionally proceedings of the Canadian Parliament, British Parliament, and other governments when they discuss matters of importance to viewers in the U.S. Similarly, the networks will sometimes carry news reports from around the world when major events occur. Newscasts and other broadcasts in foreign languages are dubbed into English.
C-SPAN has submitted requests to air live United States Supreme Court proceedings, but has always been denied camera access. However, the network has aired audio tapes of the Court in session on significant cases and has covered individual Supreme Court Justices' speaking engagements.
C-SPAN is the only cable channel that covers the Republican and Democratic Party quadrennial conventions in their entirety. Also, after the death of Ronald Reagan in 2004 and the death of Rosa Parks in 2005, C-SPAN featured live, uninterrupted coverage of the visitors who came to the Capitol Rotunda to pay their final respects.
C-SPAN and the Internet
All of C-SPAN's live feeds are available streamed free of charge on its World Wide Web site. Additionally, selected C-SPAN programs are archived for the general public on its website plus connected sites, for at least two weeks. Some programs are archived permanently. http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp
Organization
Uncommonly for a television network, C-SPAN is operated as a non-profit organization by the National Cable Satellite Corporation, whose board of directors consists primarily of representatives of the largest cable companies. C-SPAN accepts no advertising, instead receiving nearly all its funding from subscriber fees charged to cable and DBS operators. Contrary to popular perception, C-SPAN receives no funding from government sources.
Following
In its early days C-SPAN (which does not produce revenue, but actually costs cable companies money via subscriber fees) was a target for cable companies to replace it with more revenue-producing channels. However, C-SPAN (which at that time only had the one channel covering the U.S. House) was developing somewhat of a "cult following" among political junkies and citizens who had always wanted to see what was really happening with their elected officials. Over time, the cable companies and the general public realized that C-SPAN provided a desired and much needed public service (a "window" into part of the Federal Government), and attempts to replace C-SPAN with other channels have ceased. C-SPAN will never have the ratings of the major networks, but it has a devoted following, and its public service mission (and neutrality) has ensured its success. Avid C-Span viewers often refer to themselves as "C-Span Junkies" or "Spanheads."
Allegations of bias
Despite its stated commitment to providing politically balanced programming, C-SPAN has been accused of having a conservative bias. These typically center on such shows as Washington Journal, Booknotes, Q & A, and Afterwords. The group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) released a study of C-SPAN's morning call-in show Washington Journal, showing that Republicans were favored over Democrats by a two-to-one margin during a six-month period in 2005. The report also claimed that people of color are underrepresented as guests on the program.
Past chairmen
Shows
See also
- ABC NewsRadio (Australian)
- BBC Parliament (British)
- CPAC (Canadian)
- The Knesset Channel (Israel)
External links
- Official Site
- C-SPAN Classroom Educator Resources
- Booknotes
- "Parliament, Coverage by Television," The Museum of Broadcast Communications
- BookTV which archives its programs online for two months
- The C-SPAN Community C-SPAN's Community is Temporarily Closing,
- C-SPAN Q&A: Jimmy Wales, what is Misplaced Pages, Misplaced Pages Founder
- Washington Post column by Richard Cohen – Criticism of a C-SPAN decision to only air a speech by Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt if the network also aired a speech by Holocaust-denier David Irving.
- Failing at Its "No. 1 Goal" study by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) alleging lack of balance on Washington Journal, C-SPAN's morning viewer call-in program.
- Booknotes' Slanted Shelf study by FAIR alleging lack of balance on Booknotes, C-SPAN's book review program.