Thoughts after Visiting the C-SPAN Digital Bus

Ray with the C-SPAN Bus in San Francisco.

I am a C-SPAN junkie and proud of the label even though there is nothing junky about C-SPAN. If “junkie” implies an addiction, C-SPAN is a most positive kind of dependency. My first appearance on the network was close to thirty years ago, when I was Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate Historian, Richard Baker, and I sat before the C-SPAN camera for an interview that was shot in the famous “Board of Education,” a small, ornate hideaway room one floor below the House Chamber, where Speaker Sam Rayburn used to take members for a few drinks after hours.

Over the years I made numerous appearances and got to know Brian Lamb and his outstanding staff. C-SPAN has made a unique contribution to the political process in the United States and helped educate Americans about how our government works.
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There was no C-SPAN Bus in those early days. C-SPAN’s programing was limited and consisted mostly of following the House and Senate floor debates. Now there is C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, C-SPAN radio, and C-SPAN3, which broadens coverage to a wider variety of educational programing related to American history. There are still many places where it is not easy to find C-SPAN3 and it is a shame that more cable carriers do not include this important educational channel in their basic packages.

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