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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This past week the C-SPAN Digital Bus was in San Francisco, where the network was covering the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians, where 1,800 historians of U.S. history met. The Bus itself has changed over the years as technology and functions have changed. There were two earlier buses that have been retired after logging a million miles. The new Bus is a great educational tool and a good ambassador to schools and other public venues all across the county.
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When I think of how much of television is devoted to mindless pap, commercialism, and propaganda instead of education, C-SPAN stands out as an example of an educational network not driven by ratings or profits. It is truly in the public interest. For this we can thank the cable industry as a whole, and we can be thankful for the vision of Brian Lamb who saw the need and made it happen.