The C-SPAN Revolution
Beginning in 1979, C-SPAN (the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network) has offered gavel-to-gavel, unedited coverage of public events--especially sessions of Congress--in the United States. The C-SPAN Revolution, by Stephen Frantzich and John Sullivan, is the first history of this unique network, offering a behind-the-scenes look at C-SPAN’s evolution, operation, and impact on public affairs.
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According to Frantzich and Sullivan, C-SPAN is important because it has redefined and expanded the role of television in the late twentieth century. When Brian Lamb and his supporters in the cable industry founded C-SPAN, their mission was a radical one: to shift the emphasis in television from entertainment to information and education. With the particular goal of making the business of government accessible to the public, the creators of C-SPAN initiated the first broadcasts of entire sessions of Congress. Almost from the outset, the network opened its phone lines to allow citizens to talk directly to legislators, party leaders, and members of the press. In time, C-SPAN would expand its programming to include coverage of House and Senate committee meetings, foreign legislature sessions, and on-the-road presidential campaigns. Because it covers politics more extensively than other networks, C-SPAN has influenced the careers of prominent politicians. Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Newt Gingrich, and Ross Perot have all taken advantage of C-SPAN's spotlight to further their careers. Other political figures - such as Joseph Biden, Tip O'Neill, and Jim Wright - have suffered political wounds because of C-SPAN's exposure. Frantzich and Sullivan acknowledge a possible downside to C-SPAN's information-oriented programming: As the public has become inundated with information, it has grown more cynical and distrustful of the system. However, the authors believe the network's benefits outweigh its defects; not only does C-SPAN foster a better-informed citizenry, its unedited format allows citizens to form their own opinions about what they see.
