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All of C-SPAN's live feeds are streamed free of charge on its World Wide Web, although high-speed access is required for most content. Some programs can be obtained using [[Real Media]], [[Windows Media]] or the C-Span player formats. Selected C-SPAN programs are archived for the general public on its website for at least two weeks, while others remain permanently accessible. C-SPAN has exclusive rights to all recordings and may charge from $30 to $45 for DVD copies of programs.<ref>{{cite web|title=C-SPAN Video Library |work= | publisher=C-SPAN| year=2008| url = http://www.c-spanstore.org/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_12&page=1&sort=3d|accessdate=2008-08-05}}</ref>
All of C-SPAN's live feeds are streamed free of charge on its World Wide Web, although high-speed access is required for most content. Some programs can be obtained using [[Real Media]], [[Windows Media]] or the C-Span player formats. Selected C-SPAN programs are archived for the general public on its website for at least two weeks, while others remain permanently accessible. C-SPAN has exclusive rights to all recordings and may charge from $30 to $45 for DVD copies of programs.<ref>{{cite web|title=C-SPAN Video Library |work= | publisher=C-SPAN| year=2008| url = http://www.c-spanstore.org/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_12&page=1&sort=3d|accessdate=2008-08-05}}</ref>


In August 2007, C-SPAN unveiled a new "C-SPAN Video Library" webpage,<ref>{{cite web| last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = C-SPAN Video Library| work = | publisher = C-SPAN| date = 2008| url = http://www.c-spanarchives.org| format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-08-05}}</ref> which will eventually provide free access to all of its past programs--including Congressional proceedings, hyperlinked to corresponding Congressional Record entries--that are not otherwise subject to copyright. In August 2008, C-SPAN announced that an embeddable video player would be part of a "convention hub" website that will track convention coverage by bloggers and social media.<ref> C-SPAN Debuts Online Convention Hub [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/c-span-debuts-online-convention-hub/story.aspx?guid={7DE570A0-2DFC-4055-84B3-679E2FE29DEA}&dist=hppr] </ref>
In August 2007, C-SPAN unveiled a new "[[C-SPAN Video Library]]" webpage,<ref>{{cite web| last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = C-SPAN Video Library| work = | publisher = C-SPAN| date = 2008| url = http://www.c-spanarchives.org| format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-08-05}}</ref> which will eventually provide free access to all of its past programs--including Congressional proceedings, hyperlinked to corresponding Congressional Record entries--that are not otherwise subject to copyright. In August 2008, C-SPAN announced that an embeddable video player would be part of a "convention hub" website that will track convention coverage by bloggers and social media.<ref> C-SPAN Debuts Online Convention Hub [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/c-span-debuts-online-convention-hub/story.aspx?guid={7DE570A0-2DFC-4055-84B3-679E2FE29DEA}&dist=hppr] </ref>


==C-SPAN and copyright==
==C-SPAN and copyright==

Revision as of 02:07, 16 November 2009

C-SPAN
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersCapitol Hill
Washington, D.C.
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
OwnerNational Cable Satellite Corporation

C-SPAN (Template:PronEng, see-span), an abbreviation of Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network owned and operated by the cable industry. It airs non-stop coverage of government proceedings and public affairs programming. C-SPAN does not accept outside advertising; the only commercials aired are for its own programming and products.

C-SPAN is made up of three television channels, one radio channel and a website is also available with streaming media and many archives, although high-speed internet access is required for most of this content.

  • C-SPAN is available to most lower-cost basic cable subscibers. It features uninterrupted live coverage of the House of Representatives. Also airs Washington Journal live every morning.
  • C-SPAN2 is seldom available to low-cost basic cable subscibers. It features uninterrupted live coverage of the Senate and airs Book TV on weekends (branded Book TV on C-SPAN2).
  • C-SPAN3 is not available to low-cost basic cable subscibers. It features other uninterrupted live special events and airs a large amount of archived historical programming branded as C-SPAN3 History.

All three channels also air events such as Presidential press conferences and speeches, as well as other government meetings such as Federal Communications Commission hearings and Pentagon press conferences. State events such as the Illinois Senate trial of former Governor Rod Blagojevich was simulcast from Illinois' state public affairs channel. Other state events include Governors' State of the State addresses. International events such as British House of Commons meetings are from The UK's BBC Parliament, and Canadian government events and shows from Canada's CPAC are also occasionally aired. Several non-government public affairs events are also featured. Channel usage for all of these events vary by date depending on availability.

The bulk of C-SPAN's operations are located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., but they also maintain archives in West Lafayette, Indiana at the Purdue Research Park under the direction of Professor Robert X. Browning.

History

Brian Lamb, C-SPAN's chairman and CEO, conceived of C-SPAN while working at Cablevision, a cable industry trade magazine, as their Washington D.C. bureau chief. C-SPAN was created as a cable-industry financed, non-profit network for televising sessions of the U.S. Congress and other public affairs event and policy discussions. Bob Rosencrans, a cable industry pioneer, was alone in providing the initial seed funding of $25,000 to start up C-SPAN.[1] It receives no funding from any government source, has no contract with the government, and does not sell sponsorships or advertising. It strives for neutrality and a lack of bias in its public affairs programming.

C-SPAN first went on the air on March 19, 1979, broadcasting a speech by then-congressman Al Gore. C-SPAN2, a spin-off network, covers all live sessions of the U.S. Senate and went on the air on June 2, 1986, with the original channel then focusing on the House. The latest spin-off, C-SPAN3, began broadcasting on January 22, 2001, and shows other government-related live events along with historical programming from C-SPAN's archives.

On October 9, 1997, C-SPAN launched C-SPAN Radio, which broadcasts on WCSP 90.1 FM in Washington, D.C.. The radio station, which is also available on XM and was on Sirius satellite radio from 2002-2006, covers similar events as its sister TV networks, often simulcasting their programming.

All three video channels, plus the radio channel, are globally available through streaming media via the C-SPAN web site. Additionally, some programs are archived on the Internet for weeks or for longer times.

On February 12, 2003, C-SPAN launched the Amos B. Hostetter Distance Learning Program with the University of Denver. Steve Scully, Political Editor and Chair of Communication, instructs the course from the C-SPAN center in Washington, D.C. and features prominent guests in politics and journalism who can field questions live to students in Denver over 1,500 miles away. Soon after, the program was also expanded to Pace University in New York.

C-SPAN also provides unedited, commercial-free coverage of campaign events, both on its weekly "Road to the White House" program and at its dedicated politics website, C-SPAN Politics.[2]

Organization

Uncommonly for a television network, C-SPAN is operated as a non-profit organization by the National Cable Satellite Corporation, whose board of directors consists primarily of representatives of the largest cable companies. C-SPAN accepts no advertising; instead, it receives nearly all its funding from subscriber fees charged to cable and DBS operators. Contrary to popular perception, C-SPAN receives no funding from government sources.

Coverage

In addition to live coverage of House and Senate proceedings and local and general elections, the three channels air government hearings, press conferences and meetings of various political, media, and non-profit organizations; book discussions, interviews, and occasionally proceedings of the Parliament of Canada, Parliament of the United Kingdom (usually Prime Minister's Questions and the State Opening of Parliament) and other governments when they discuss matters of importance to viewers in the U.S. Similarly, the networks will sometimes carry news reports from around the world when major events occur — for instance, they carried CBC Television coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Newscasts and other broadcasts in foreign languages are dubbed into English. C-SPAN also carries CBC coverage during events that impact Canadians, such as the Canadian federal elections, the death and state funeral of Pierre Trudeau, and the 2003 North America blackout.

C-SPAN has submitted requests to air live United States Supreme Court proceedings, but has always been denied camera access. However, the network has aired audio tapes of the Court in session on significant cases and has covered individual Supreme Court Justices' speaking engagements.

C-SPAN is the only cable channel that covers the Republican, Libertarian, and Democratic presidential nominating convention in their entirety. Following the deaths of Ronald Reagan in 2004, Rosa Parks in 2005 and Gerald Ford in 2006, C-SPAN featured live, uninterrupted coverage of the visitors who came to the Capitol Rotunda to pay their final respects. The network also provided coverage of Lady Bird Johnson's funeral in Stonewall, Texas. In 2008, C-SPAN gave coverage of Hurricane Gustav through New Orleans' NBC affiliate, WDSU, as well as Hurricane Ike coverage via Houston's CBS affiliate, KHOU.

Additionally, C-SPAN simulcasts NASA Space Shuttle mission launches and landings live, using the footage and audio from NASA TV.

C-SPAN and the Internet

All of C-SPAN's live feeds are streamed free of charge on its World Wide Web, although high-speed access is required for most content. Some programs can be obtained using Real Media, Windows Media or the C-Span player formats. Selected C-SPAN programs are archived for the general public on its website for at least two weeks, while others remain permanently accessible. C-SPAN has exclusive rights to all recordings and may charge from $30 to $45 for DVD copies of programs.[3]

In August 2007, C-SPAN unveiled a new "C-SPAN Video Library" webpage,[4] which will eventually provide free access to all of its past programs--including Congressional proceedings, hyperlinked to corresponding Congressional Record entries--that are not otherwise subject to copyright. In August 2008, C-SPAN announced that an embeddable video player would be part of a "convention hub" website that will track convention coverage by bloggers and social media.[5]

On March 7, 2007 C-SPAN liberalized its copyright policy for current, future, and past coverage of any official events sponsored by Congress and any federal agency and now allows for non-commercial copying, sharing, and posting of C-SPAN video on the Internet, with attribution.[6] C-SPAN considers video coverage of the floor proceedings of the U.S. House and Senate to be in the public domain.[7]

Prior to this change, C-SPAN engaged in numerous actions to stop parties from making unauthorized uses of their content online including cases where the footage is the House and Senate proceedings. For example, Dem Bloggers received a take down request for clips they had posted.[8] In May 2006, C-SPAN requested the removal of the Stephen Colbert performance at the White House Correspondent's Dinner from YouTube while allowing it to remain on Google Video,[9] causing concern from web bloggers.[10]

Websites such as metavid and voterwatch.org make House and Senate video records freely available. C-SPAN contested metavid usage of C-SPAN video which resulted in metavid taking down portions of the archive which were produced with C-SPAN's cameras while maintaining an archive of government produced content.[11]

On December 14, 2006 C-SPAN wrote an open letter to Speaker Designate Nancy Pelosi requesting that floor proceedings be covered by C-SPAN cameras.[12] The request was denied.[13]

Other controversies

Although C-SPAN states its commitment to providing politically balanced programming, C-SPAN has been criticized by progressive organizations for an alleged bias toward conservatives.[14] A study released by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) argued that C-SPAN's morning call-in show, Washington Journal, favored Republicans as guests over Democrats by a two-to-one margin during a six-month period in 2005.[15] A 2009 C-SPAN survey reported that its audience included almost equal numbers of liberals and conservatives, with 31% describing themselves as "liberal" compared to 28% calling themselves "conservative".[16]

In 2004, C-SPAN intended to broadcast a speech by Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt adjacent to a speech by Holocaust denier David Irving, who had unsuccessfully sued Lipstadt for libel in the United Kingdom four years earlier. Critics including the Anti-Defamation League decried C-SPAN's use of the word "balance" to describe its plan to cover both.[17] C-SPAN claimed the adjacent broadcasts would pair arguments of both plaintiff and defendant. However, once Lipstadt closed media access to her speech, C-SPAN canceled the broadcasts of both.[18]

Past chairmen

Shows

Special programs

See also

References

  1. ^ "Original Cable Guy". Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  2. ^ http://www.c-span.org/politics/
  3. ^ "C-SPAN Video Library". C-SPAN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  4. ^ "C-SPAN Video Library". C-SPAN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ C-SPAN Debuts Online Convention Hub [1]
  6. ^ "C-SPAN Press Area". Press release. C-SPAN. March 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  7. ^ "Copyright Policy for Educators". C-SPAN Classroom. Retrieved 2009-08-06. The video coverage of the floor proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and of the U.S. Senate is public domain material and is not subject to this license, and as such, may also be used for educational purposes.
  8. ^ [2][dead link‍]
  9. ^ [3][dead link‍]
  10. ^ Xeni Jardin (May 4, 2006). "Why was Colbert press corps video removed from YouTube?". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  11. ^ "Democratizing the Archive: An Open Interface for Mediation". Metavid. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  12. ^ Lamb, Brian P. (December 14, 2006). "C-SPAN's Letter to Speaker of House Representatives" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  13. ^ Associated Press (December 23, 2006). "Pelosi rejects C-SPAN control of cameras". CantonRep.com. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  14. ^ "Tilting Rightward: C-SPAN's Coverage of Think Tanks" (PDF). Center for Economic and Policy Research. December 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  15. ^ "ailing at Its "No. 1 Goal"". Extra!. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. November/December 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "C-SPAN at 30: Who's Watching?". C-SPAN. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  17. ^ "C-SPAN's David Irving contretemps". Anti-Defamation League. 13 April 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  18. ^ "Lipstadt/Irving Coverage". C-SPAN. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
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