C-SPAN is COOL and it Does What NPR is Supposed to do All without ANY Taxpayer Funding

Who would have ever thought that C-SPAN was Cool?

It is.

Voters are getting tired of biased reporting and suffocating commentary. They are tired of the quick sound bites and boxing match style reporting. People just want to know what is going on so they can decide for themselves. Commentary is not a bad thing, but it means nothing if the people have not first been able to see what is being commented on.

This is why watching C-SPAN is becoming the cool thing to do. More and more people are tuning in to C-SPAN because C-SPAN broadcasts political events from start to finish without commentary. Viewers of C-SPAN can actually watch that is going on and make their own decisions!

C-SPAN also covers many events that mainstream media does not. Mainstream media wants to get the events that they can put a good spin on or events that will bring controversy.

C-SPAN will Broadcast Herman Cain – Newt Gingrich Debate in Houston on Saturday November 5^th, 2011 from 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

As an example of this media nonsense, there is this Herman Cain – Newt Gingrich debate in The Woodlands, TX that is being hosted by the Texas Tea Party Patriots PAC. The media cannot really put a good angle on the coverage because it is not going to be a “fight” like the recent debates have been. What does that mean? It means that most people do not even know about this Cain – Gingrich debate and the Media will not be televising it.

That is where C-SPAN steps in and they will be broadcasting this important Cain – Gingrich Debate this Saturday. C-SPAN does not care about being able to put a spin on things. C-SPAN sees a debate between two of the top 4 Republican Presidential Candidates and C-SPAN wants America to be able to see it.

The Battle over Funding for NPR

NPR, which is funded by tax dollars, was long thought to be the mouthpiece for the left. This really came to light when NPR Executives were caught calling the Tea Party Racist and Bashing Republicans.

Even only a month ago, the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a plan to strip away the millions of tax dollars that NPR currently receives.

My understanding is that the Democrats who are in favor of continuing funding for NPR  argue that defunding NPR will basically destroy all public information networks and keep the information from the people and no one in the United States will ever know what is going on.

NPR, Meet C-SPAN – The True Unbiased Information Network Without Public Funding

The idea that unbiased, public information cannot be available to America without funding NPR is just silly. 

My Case in point is C-SPAN

Did you know that C-SPAN is COMPLETELY Privately Funded and does not get a dime from the Taxpayer or the Government.

Yep, pretty shocking isn’t it? I bet most people thought that the government funded C-SPAN. After all, unbiased, public information networks could never survive without the government right?

www.TexasGOPvote.com is a great Republican Website with all kinds of news, political information and blogs. Texas GOP Vote will have a few bloggers at this debate. One thing that really excited us bloggers was that the event was picked up by C-SPAN and all Americans will be able to watch this debate in its entirety!

Leading up to this debate, I had a chance to talk with the Communications Director for C-SPAN, Howard Mortman.

While talking to Howard Mortman about the C-SPAN coverage for the Cain-Gingrich event, I inquired about the background information regarding C-SPAN.

This is what Howard Mortman had to say:

C-SPAN has a public service mission to cover an event entirely from start to finish without proving commentary.

C-SPAN is entirely privately funded – It is a private sector public service – It is a non-profit company - it does not get a dime from taxpayer money.

C-SPAN strives to Connect Americans to politicians and government by showing what is going on in its entirety. 

At the Cain – Gingrich Debate in Houston on Saturday, November 5^th, 2011, C-SPAN will be there with cameras and will be broadcasting the entire debate.

C-SPAN has been in business since 1979.

The original idea of C-SPAN: In March 1979 the U.S. House of Representatives had a plan to set up video cameras and have the cameras rolling from the floor of the House during the Legislative Session. A private group got together and decided that the public should be able to see what those camera’s see. They formed C-SPAN as an organization that would tie into the video feed and broadcast it on TV.

When congress is in session, C-SPAN covers everything happening on the House and Senate floor. That is the core mission to show what is happening in Washington. When Congress is not in session, C-SPAN is unbiased in covering everything else in politics, including election coverage such as a presidential debate. Unlike the rest of the news networks, C-SPAN does not comment on what is being shown. They just show it in its entirety.

Facts about C-SPAN

According to a 2010 C-SPAN/Penn Schoen Berland Poll, an estimated 79 million adults said they watched C-SPAN in 2010.

According to a 2009 C-SPAN survey, C-SPAN's viewers found that the network's most-valued attribute was its balanced programming. The survey's respondents were a mixed group, with 31 percent describing themselves as "liberal," while 28 percent described themselves as "conservative", and the survey found that C-SPAN viewers are an equal mix of men and women across all age groups

According to that same study, 62% of C-SPAN viewers report watching C-SPAN's Presidential election coverage and 61% have watched C-SPAN's Congressional coverage.

That, my friend, is the model for a public information network. C-SPAN offers unbiased coverage (Liberals and Conservatives both believe C-SPAN is unbiased), they do it completely privately funded without having to use tax dollars, and just about everyone knows about C-SPAN and has access to it. 

C-SPAN, you are cool. Take that NPR!