Ever wonder who runs CSPAN?

[paineinthearse]

Posted previously in POLITICS - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1796630&mesg_id=1796630 - but re-posted in GD by request.

Tired of shooting spitballs and larger objects at your TV Friday mornings?

Here is some information lifted straight off the CSPAN website.

http://www.cspan.org/about/company/index.asp?code=BOARD

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Executive Committee

THOMAS G. BAXTER
Time Warner Cable

President WILLIAM J. BRESNAN
Bresnan Communications, President and CEO

STEPHEN B. BURKE
Comcast Cable Communications President

JOHN D. EVANS
Evans Telecommunications Co.
Chairman & CEO

BRIAN P. LAMB
C-SPAN Chairman & CEO

ROBERT MIRON
Advance / Newhouse Chairman and CEO

JAMES O. ROBBINS
Cox Communications, Inc. President & CEO

Directors
ALLAN BLOCK
Block Communications, Inc.

Vice Chairman ROCCO B. COMMISSO
Mediacom LLC Chairman & CEO

JOSEPH H. FLOYD
Midcontinent Media, Inc. President & COO

SHEILA A. MAHONY
Cablevision Systems Corporation Senior Vice President

DAVID C. McCOURT
RCN Corporation Chairman & CEO

THOMAS O. MIGHT
Cable One President & CEO

MICHAEL L. PANDZIK
National Cable TV Cooperative, Inc. President

ROBERT M. ROSENCRANS
Columbia Partners, LLC President

WILLIAM T. SCHLEYER
Adelphia Communications Corp. Chairman and CEO

FRANKLIN D. SCHURZ
Schurz Communications, Inc. President

CARL VOGEL
Charter Communications President & CEO

KELVIN WESTBROOK
Millennium Digital Media President & CEO

MICHAEL S. WILLNER
Insight Communications President & CEO

C-SPAN's Founding Board of Directors
BOB ROSENCRANS, Founding Chairman, PAUL ALDEN, ED ALLEN, RALPH BARUCH, BEN CAMPBELL, JOHN EVANS, HENRY HARRIS, GUS HAUSER, JIM HOAK, BOB HOSFELDT, AMOS HOSTETTER, LARRY HOWE, BOB HUGHES, RUSSELL KARP, BRIAN LAMB, BOB MAGNESS, DICK MUNRO, JOHN SAEMAN, GENE SCHNEIDER, BOB TITSCH, DON TYKESON, ROD WARNER,
JIM WHITSON

http://www.cspan.org/about/company/index.asp

THE C-SPAN MISSION

C-SPAN is a public service created by the American cable television industry:

To provide C-SPAN's audience access to the live gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and to other forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided--all without editing, commentary or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view;

To provide elected and appointed officials and others who would influence public policy a direct conduit to the audience without filtering or otherwise distorting their points of view;

To provide the audience, through the call-in program, direct access to elected officials, other decision makers and journalists on a frequent and open basis;

To employ production values that accurately convey the business of government rather than distract from it; and to conduct all other aspects of its operations consistent with these principles.

http://www.cspan.org/about/company/index.asp?code=COMPANY

THE COMPANY

C-SPAN is a private, non-profit public service of the cable television industry. Even though the network’s programming covers the political process, it receives no funding from any government. C-SPAN earns its operating revenues through license fees paid by cable systems that offer the network to their customers.

The cable television industry created C-SPAN (Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network) in 1979 to provide live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since those early days, C-SPAN has grown into a diverse information service that provides public affairs programming 24 hours a day in a variety of formats. Today the cable industry remains the primary distributor of the C-SPAN networks and continues that distribution as a service to the public.

C-SPAN is a non-profit educational organization with a board of directors comprised of executives from large and small cable television operating companies. While the board establishes network policy and provides financial oversight, it is not involved in C-SPAN’s editorial decision-making.

When the U.S. House of Representatives turned on its cameras on March 19, 1979, C-SPAN and its staff of four were ready to carry the signal live, gavel-to-gavel, to 3.5 million cable homes. In 1980, C-SPAN covered its first presidential election and pioneered the nationwide viewer call-in program. By 1982, C-SPAN’s schedule expanded to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Today, C-SPAN has a staff of 275; its round-the-clock programming is available to 86 million TV households via nearly 7900 cable systems.

In June 1986, the U.S. Senate began televising its proceedings, and the cable industry created C-SPAN2 to telecast Senate debates. In addition to live Senate debates, C-SPAN2 offers long-form coverage of current events and issues. And exclusively on C-SPAN2, viewers can find Book TV, 48 hours of non-fiction book programming beginning at 8am Saturday.

Launched in September 1997, C-SPAN3 is an additional choice in public affairs television. During the day, C-SPAN3 offers public affairs events from Washington and around the country, including committee hearings, press conferences, and speeches from political leaders. Overnights and weekends, C-SPAN3 spotlights American history with features from our award-winning original history series such as American Presidents: Life Stories and American Writers: A Journey Through Hidtory.

C-SPAN Radio can be heard in the Washington-Baltimore region at 90.1 FM, worldwide online at c-span.org, and nationwide via satellite on XM and Sirius Satellite Radio. The station offers a mix of public affairs programming from all the C-SPAN networks and a few exclusives of its own. Each Saturday afternoon at 3pm ET, here presidential history such as the LBJ White House tapes, and on Saturday mornings at 10:10am ET, American Political Archive brings you unique historical audio recordings from a variety of sources. Throughout C-SPAN’s development, it has never veered from its original mission: to air unedited, balanced views of government and public policy forums, and to provide viewers with direct access to elected officials, decision-makers and journalists.

[Turn CO Blue]

1. RECOMMENDED and bookmarked!

Let's try this again, PITA!

[Cha]

2. Recommended too..

Now can someone tell me if there are any progressives on these boards?

[peacetalksforall]

3. I applaud C-Span in so many ways.

I resent the imbalance and dominance of right wing association and foundation guest expert big mouth propagandists.

I have little to complain about when they cover some event. They are very professional and top notch technicians, though I am unqualified to vouch for the technician part.

I love Book TV on the weekends though I am unable to watch it presently because of schedules. It is another gift to the citizens.

I believe C-Span's emphasis on history is a gift to the people, including the buses going to schools and the contests they sponsor. We are very fortunate

My anger is mostly at Washington Journal. The concept is excellent. I resent the obvious right wing lean in the ratio of time given to right wing guests. Are Dems not doing enough to get on the program? Are they not available? Are they not asked? Is there no plan between them to make themselves available? Are they not being asked?

How does scheduling work? That is the key to my resentment.

I also detect that some of the hosts on the other six days (Bryan on Fridays) are very right wing. The body language is transparent. If anyone had the time to count...I believe we would find that more Dems are hung up on for bad connections or some trite reason.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. thanks paine!

It's up to us to make sure they broadcast our voices too..

CSPAN GEEKS RULE! LOL!


Knowledge is Power – Keep these threads kicked...

Book TV Schedule May 21-23
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3699935

CSPAN Schedule Sunday, May 22
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3703368

[katinmn]

5. Wow. I'm surprised it has all the major media moguls on the board

:kick:

[acmejack]

6. Why?

They frequently state that C-span is a public service of the cable providers. Since they are among they largest corporations in the country, it follows they would be full of it too.

But it wasn't all that long ago they had a little more level playing field, it may have simply been a matter of perception on my part...

[checks-n-balances]

8. I'm surprised they cover as much good stuff as they do, considering

all the media moguls on their board.

[katinmn]

10. Thanks. That was my point but I am always too concise.

:)

[Dinger]

16. C-Span Still Has Good Stuff, But Less & Less It Seems (nt)

[bejammin075]

7. I've always wonders about the GAO

how is it supposed to be non-partisan? seems like everything is partisan these days. where do the GAO people come from? how do they get there?

[paineinthearse]

12. Sounds like a decent idea

...for a seperate thread.

Welcome to DU, bejammin075 :hi:

[ailsagirl]

9. I have always been impressed by CEO (& founder) Brian Lamb

He conducts excellent interviews and doesn't rush the interviewee to respond (or interrupt in the middle of their response to fire off another question).

Thank God for C-SPAN!!!

:kick:

[paineinthearse]

11. Foxes guarding the hen house. But who is the public's representative?

Working for corporate media heads, overall, CSPAN does a decent job, but there are just too many instances of Lamb directing discussion away from "controversial" or "tin hat" issues.

Suggestion: CSPAN should have a "public editor" or "ombudsman", someone who will investigate complaints of abuse of power. Is that reasonable? How could DU get behind an initiative to create such a position?

[me b zola]

13. Your concerns are justified, IMHO

CSPAN provides a great service, but we cannot be assured that it will always be there and/or not abuse it's power. A week or so ago there was a huge fight (non physical) on the floor of the House regarding the rethugs rewriting the language that goes into the official record. Besides the fact that the rethugs were clearly abusing their power, I kept thinking at least there is CSPAN to set the record straight (although it will mean yet again Dems having to take a defensive stance) but then I thought...what if the rethugs take away CSPAN? If CSPAN disappeared, there would be no honnest view into the House & Senate.

I'm with you, a 'public editor' or an ombudsman would be a good safe guard.

[MADem]

14. It is a "GIFT" to YOU from your CABLE COMPANY

ONe thing that chaps me off about them is that the little old ladies on fixed income, who get BASIC cable (the networks plus some Jesus stations plus a shitload of SHOPPING CHANNELS) are not given CSPAN. It only is a gift if you get EXPANDED BASIC.

Keep the elderly and the poor in the dark, the baaaaaastids! Don't be giving them the gift, though I'll bet the fees are hidden somewhere in their bill....

[paineinthearse]

15. Very salient points

Both CSPAN and the NASA channel should be in all basic cable packages. I'd even go so far as to suggest that the DoD channel should be, as well.

Keep the ideas coming.

[notadmblnd]

17. I watch so often in amazement and discust.

like the psycho guest John Batchelor that was on with Brian last Friday and for the second time totally ignoring the subject when a caller brought up the UK memos. Then again watching Saturday when Pedro allows an obviously racist caller rant on and on. The gains from doing the neocons dirty work must be enormous how else can so many people be willing to sell their souls for so little?