You may have heard in the news recently that Brian Lamb, founder and CEO of the groundbreaking TV news network, C-SPAN, is retiring after thirty-four years on the job. We told the story of how Lamb managed to get the network up and running, and how he made sure it was a truly independent news network - really a heck of a story – in Uncle John’s TRIUMPHANT 20TH Bathroom Reader. (It’s on page 243 for those of you who already own the book.) We thought it would be a good time to roll it out on the blog. Here you go.
TV NEWS UNFILTERED
Next time you think there’s nothing on TV, remember Brian Lamb’s story and spend a few minutes watching his channel. What channel? Read on.
Mr. Lamb goes to Washington
During the Vietnam War, a young navy lieutenant from Indiana named Brian Lamb was assigned to the Pentagon press office to report troop deaths to the media. The amount of information either omitted or censored in order to paint a rosier picture of the war appalled him. “The government lied to us,” he later recalled. “We just weren’t getting the straight scoop.” During that time, Lamb also served as an aide in the Johnson White House. Once again he saw a huge gap between what the American people knew and what was really happening. “I got a firsthand education about how the media interacts with the government, and it led me to think that there could be a better way.” That better way was a news outlet that would report what was happening in politics—with two major differences: 1) no censorship from government; and 2) no commentary from media pundits.
Finding an In
Over the next decade, as Lamb worked in various television and political jobs, he tried to drum up support for a news channel that showed gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress. Although many people agreed that it was a good idea, it wasn’t feasible. Why? The Big Three networks had cornered the market on delivering the news to the masses. And besides, all-day congressional debate wasn’t exactly something the public was clamoring for. But then in the late 1970s, cable TV hit the scene. That changed everything. Cable meant more channels, which meant Lamb now had a place to put his network. But he still needed money and—more importantly—he needed the government’s permission.
- Government approval was the easy part. In 1977 Lamb met with House Speaker Tip O’Neill and learned that Congress had been thinking the same thing—they’d recently passed House Resolution 866, permitting broadcast coverage of House proceedings.
- Finding the money took a little longer. Lamb knew that trying to convince taxpayers to pay for a free government-access channel would be a tough sell, so instead he went to the CEOs of emerging cable companies around the country and asked them to finance the channel by setting aside a small percentage of their revenue. The response was slow at first, but after Bob Rosencrans, the CEO of Columbia Cablevision, wrote a check for $25,000, others chipped in, and Lamb found himself with $400,000.
America’s Network of Record
On March 19, 1979, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, or C-SPAN, with a staff of four, began cablecasting the United States House of Repre- sentatives daily proceedings (gavel-to-gavel and without commentary) to 3.5 million households. At first it only aired from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, but soon switched to 24-hour coverage, replaying the day’s events in primetime. In 1980 C-SPAN added a call-in feature to give people the opportunity to ask politicians direct questions. This was the first large-scale avenue for regular citizens to speak directly to their political representatives. That year C-SPAN also received its first of many Cable Ace Awards. By 1984 it was covering every political event to which it had access, and really made its mark during the presidential campaign. While the Big Three covered the highlights, C-SPAN broadcast every minute of the Iowa caucus and both the Republican and Democratic national conven- tions.
This Lamb Ain’t No Sheep
Over the years, Lamb has had to remain diligent to ensure that the network’s coverage remains both complete and objective. C-SPAN has never received a cent from either political party (not that they haven’t offered). Corporations have also offered to pay the network substantial fees in return for displaying their logos onscreen. And on a few occasions C-SPAN has been asked to omit or edit certain sections of congressional debates that got out of hand. Lamb’s response is always the same: No. Yet while C-SPAN strives to be nonpartisan, both sides have accused the network of bias: In March 2007, conservatives accused it of catering to the left by broadcasting coverage of an anti-Iraq War march, but staying away from a smaller march in favor of the war. On the other side, liberals point to reports that C-SPAN’s morning call-in show, Washington Journal, features nearly twice as many Republicans as Democrats. So does Lamb have a political bias? He won’t say. “I vote in every general election, but I’m not a party member—I’ve never told anyone who I’ve voted for.”
Ratings, Shmatings
One way Lamb curtails the criticism is to completely ignore C-SPAN’s numbers. “We don’t know whether we have three viewers or three hundred thousand,” he says. “It’s probably a good thing, too, because then someone might be on our backs to increase the numbers, or worse, we’d stop broadcasting what deserves to be on.” What is known is this: 85 million homes receive C-SPAN; 52 million people admit to being “sometime” or “regular” viewers. And they have a lot to tune in to. Today C-SPAN consists of three separate networks, a radio station, and 17 Web sites. In 1996 the network added About Books, which gives authors exposure they couldn’t get anywhere else. And even though C-SPAN is now a multimedia juggernaut, it’s still a nonprofit organization and still receives its money solely from cable companies. “C-SPAN,” says Lamb, “is the voice of America, with all its flaws.”
WHat’s on C-Span?
Think it’s just long-winded politicians speaking into microphones on the House floor? Well, most of it is, but you can also find:
- International flair: The often-lively proceedings of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada.
- State funerals: Every big funeral from Richard Nixon to Rosa Parks. “Our coverage of funerals is very popular,” boasts Lamb.
- Political goofs: Regular C-SPAN viewers see their fair share of questionable political gestures and slips of the tongue. For example, in July 2006, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware said on camera that “you cannot go into a Dunkin’ Donuts or a 7-Eleven unless you have a slight Indian accent.” (He later said it was a compliment.) And in July 2007, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said on the Senate floor, “Certainly, all the intercourse that I had as a military officer was the best. But that was not the case for a lot of our returning soldiers.” (He was talking about how he was treated by the public after returning home from Vietnam. We think.)
Good work, Mr. Lamb, an Uncle John’s salute from all of us, and we hope enjoy your well-deserved retirement. |pic|
