Senate voted to televise its debates, and C-SPAN launched a second channel, C-SPAN2, to provide unfiltered, gavel-to-gavel access to that body.

In 1982, the network expanded from eight to 16, and then 24 hours, enabling it to add a wider variety of public affairs programming to viewers while maintaining its commitment to carry the proceedings of the U.S. That direct viewer-to-leader dialogue and discussion of current events continues each day on Washington Journal. C-SPAN added what became its signature call-in programs the following year to provide a direct conduit between the American public and the nation's political leaders. That televised congressional session began with a one-minute speech by then-Congressman Al Gore and reached just 3 million American cable and satellite homes.įor C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb and the nascent network's cable system affiliates that provide its funding, the televised House feed was only the beginning. House of Representatives to C-SPAN viewers on March 19, 1979, the first day the House allowed television coverage of its floor debates.

Those four transmitted the first television feed from the U.S. Underpinning this impartial, balanced coverage is the fact that no government or taxpayer dollars support C-SPAN, as we continue to be funded as a public service from your cable or satellite provider.Ĭ-SPAN began with only four employees: Brian Lamb, Jana Dabrowski Fay, Don Houle and Brian Lockman. In so doing, we promote open and transparent dialogue between the public and their elected and appointed officials – and those campaigning for office. We supplement live coverage of the Capitol with ideologically balanced programming concerning all manner of public policy and politics.

Over the years, we've grown to be so much more – on TV, online, on radio, through podcasts and on social platforms (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). Congress, both the House and Senate, all without editing, commentary or analysis. We are a non-profit created in 1979 by a then-new industry called cable television, and today we remain true to our founding principles, providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the workings of the U.S.

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