C-SPAN Turns Forty

On March 19, 1979, a few months into my second term in congress, the proceedings of the House of Representatives went live on television. The Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) was the brainchild of Brian Lamb, who had been the Washington Bureau chief of Cablevision magazine. Brian quickly became a fixture on the congressional scene while bringing the congress into the living rooms of millions of Americans who for the first time saw the law making in real time. Through the years I got to know Brian who is as politically agnostic as anyone in the nation’s capital. He is a fine gentleman and I have often said he has done more for strengthening our democracy than many of the elected officials he has covered.

Congressman Al Gore, also a second termer, played a leading role in persuading the Democratic House leadership that allowing live coverage would not only benefit the chamber but also make our representative democracy more real to more people. And for the most part, it has.

Members of the House, and eventually seven years later in 1986, the Senate adapted to the coverage. It seemed to me that the floor speeches were pithy, the debate more sharp, the message more honed. Some members began to play to the cameras. All of us were aware the folks back home might be watching so members behaved a little better than before while on the House floor. It was said the cameras picked up blue shirts better than the all white ones. I found myself beginning to dress for the occasion being sure to wear a blue shirt if I knew I would be making a floor speech on the day in question.

There was also a downside to the coverage. More and more members tried to outdo each other in making outrageous statements, knowing that the network’s evening news shows would pick up the most theatrical and thus reward the member with television coverage —- the currency of politics. I called it “bumper sticker mentality” because these arguments could be completely contained on a single bumper sticker.

Newt Gingrich, a new member of congress, took advantage of the cameras and began making flowery and fiery speeches on the floor after most members went home for the night. In these monologues he often verbally attacked other members. The key to his success was the television cameras were only trained on him while failing to show the viewers that the chamber was practically empty of other members.

Gingrich honed his attack mode during the early days of C-SPAN that directly lead to the polarization we have today in our politics and the all too frequent practice of the politics of personal destruction.

C-SPAN now has multiple channels including digital offerings and not only covers the sessions of the House and Senate gavel-to-gavel but there’s Book TV and coverage of public affairs events both in Washington, DC and throughout the nation 24/7. Thanks to Brian Lamb and a tip of the hat to my former colleague, Al Gore.