Assets of America: C-Span
In its 29 years of existence, C-SPAN has become a national institution relied on by millions of Americans for non-partisan coverage of government and public institutions. At least 28 million Americans watch C-SPAN every week and more than 25,000 viewers participate in C-SPAN call-in programs, providing an important "instant feedback system” to policymakers.
C-SPAN captures the daily White House press briefings and gavel to gavel coverage of Congress (including deliberations on the floor, and committee hearings). More importantly, C-SPAN serves as a forum for a wider diversity of views than are available on other television networks in the United States. The C-SPAN archives number in the hundreds of thousands of volumes, and are replete with interviews and talks given by authors, intellectuals, and statesman with a wide array of political dispositions, including Ralph Nader. While other networks eschewed the third party presidential debate between Ralph Nader and Chuck Baldwin, C-SPAN aired it live (View the Third Party Debate here). Most of C-SPAN’s programs are available to view for free on their website.
C-SPAN depends on the license fees paid by cable and satellite broadcasters; it is not subsidized by the government, does not accept corporate sponsorships, and generates no advertising revenues. This vital public service invites larger audiences and participants to deepen the roots of support.
For more information visit http://c-span.org/
