Latest news with #Feist
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
C-SPAN Faces A Funding Crisis Amid Cord Cutting, Even As D.C.'s Drama Makes Its Mission Ever More Important
Over the past week, C-SPAN has covered the narrow, early morning vote on Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill.' It carried in full the president's at-times bizarre Oval Office clash with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. It captured the heated exchange between Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen. Patti Murray (D-WA). At times the source of humor for its offering of comprehensive coverage of extremely wonkish TV in an era of ever-short attention spans, C-SPAN has nevertheless been a go-to destination for the unedited moments in D.C. at an unprecedented era of hyper-partisanship, high anxiety and heavy drama. More from Deadline Ken Dilanian To Serve As MSNBC's Justice Correspondent And Erielle Reshef To Join Network As National Correspondent NPR And Colorado Public Radio Stations Sue Donald Trump Over Executive Order To Cease Federal Funding Donald Trump Posts All-Caps Memorial Day Message Attacking "USA Hating Judges" And "Scum" Who Are "Trying To Destroy Our Country" The irony is that the network, launched in 1979, finds itself at a crossroads. Funded by the cable industry, it has seen its revenue fall as consumers cut the cord, while the most popular streaming alternatives have yet to carry the C-SPAN channels to make up for the loss. Sam Feist, who became the new CEO of C-SPAN last year, said that the result is a 'crisis of funding,' as virtual multichannel distributors like YouTube TV and Hulu have so far declined to add the channels to their lineups. 'That adds up to many millions of dollars of revenue for this non profit,' Feist said. 'We don't get government funding. We're completely dependent on those revenues. So it's a crisis for us, and it's unsustainable over time, and more importantly, as people switch from cable to YouTube TV because it might be a slightly less expensive service, they're no longer able to see their government unfiltered the way only C-SPAN provides it.' Feist said that the cost to distributors, 7.25 cents per subscriber per month, 'may be tiny and almost insignificant to an individual household, it is what pays to keep the lights on and the cameras covering Washington here at C-SPAN.' According to its IRS filing, C-SPAN's total revenue declined to $46.3 million in the year ended on March 31, 2024, from $49.4 million a year earlier. That figure reflects a drop in programming fees, its largest revenue stream. YouTube TV, the largest of the virtual MVPDs with estimates of 8 million to 10 million subscribers, has cited direct and indirect costs to their business, which may be passed on to subscribers. A YouTube TV spokesperson said, 'Unfortunately, our subscribers have not shown sufficient interest in adding C-SPAN to the YouTube TV lineup to justify the increased cost to subscribers' monthly bills.' The streamer said that it has proposed access to their prime time channels lineup, where users could directly pay for a subscription, and YouTube TV subscribers then could add the C-SPAN channels for a fee. The spokesperson also noted that a large amount of content was available on YouTube's main platform, and generated advertising revenue for C-SPAN. Yet that hasn't come close to making up for lost revenue. According to the IRS filing, C-SPAN's advertising returns, including short spots airing before online programming, are a fraction of programming fees, at $334,412 in the 2024 fiscal year. C-SPAN also has been taking donations, but that funding source also is small compared to the carriage fees. A Hulu spokesperson did not return a request for comment. Feist said that they have explored a paywall on the C-SPAN website, which does not carry all of the programming of the linear networks, but 'what we think are the most important things.' 'That's certainly not the solution to our funding problem, and our current situation is not sustainable. When 15 to 20 million people that had C-SPAN switched to a different service and no longer do, that is not sustainable,' Feist said. Founded by Brian Lamb, C-SPAN was started in 1979, with coverage of the House of Representatives. It later expanded to another channel covering the Senate, and later added a third channel covering public affairs programming. With its funding from the cable industry, C-SPAN also has served as a way for individual operators to show local communities their commitment to public service programming. Through the years, as multichannel viewing expanded to satellite and fiber, services like DirecTV and Fios also carried the networks. C-SPAN's areas of coverage now extend beyond Capitol Hill to the White House, the campaign trail, and even to live and consequential events like the recent papal conclave. C-SPAN has long sought televised coverage of the Supreme Court, and a breakthrough of sorts was seen during the pandemic, when the justices allowed live audio feeds of oral arguments. This fall will bring a high-profile addition to its programming lineup, in keeping with the network's mandate to remain neutral in the partisan fray. CeaseFire will feature lawmakers and other politicos of opposite parties seeking areas of agreement, rather than contentious argument. The show is Feist's idea, having joined C-SPAN after almost 35 years at CNN, including 13 years as senior vice president and Washington bureau chief. He also once oversaw CNN's Crossfire, which helped popularize the panel format but may be the opposite of what CeaseFire is trying to achieve. Crossfire, Feist said, 'was an important program that really helped you understand where Republicans were coming from, where Democrats were coming from. It was a raucous debate show. People enjoyed it. People watched it. It was frequently the most popular program on CNN in its heyday. But it wasn't a program that really led to common ground or compromise. And in America now, we're living through one of the most polarized periods at least in modern history. There seems to not be a lot of effort to seek common ground, at least in the media, or seek compromise.' Feist said that he's spoken to more than 100 members of Congress, including the question 'who's your best friend on the other side?' 'In almost every case, the member of Congress I was talking to gave me a name,' Feist said. When told about plans for the show, 'every single one of them said yes.' 'Now whether they'll actually come on or not, that is still to be determined. Maybe someone's staffer will think they'd rather have purity than compromise,' he said. 'But I don't think we'll have trouble finding people.' That said, Feist made clear that his 'number one mission right now is to help increase our distribution. It's actually to restore our distribution.' Some of the stars of C-SPAN — members of Congress — have put on the pressure. Last week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Mike Flood (R-NE) wrote recently in Newsweek that C-SPAN's 7.25 cents per month fee is well below those of commercial news channels, including Fox News, at $2.50 per subscriber, and CNN, at $1.30. They wrote that it was even more essential to secure carriage on major streamers as younger audiences abandon linear TV. They wrote, 'While carrying C-SPAN may not dramatically grow YouTubeTV or Hulu's subscriber numbers, it provides viewers with an essential resource for understanding what their government is doing—letting them see for themselves what is going on in Washington. We recognize that this is a public service, but it's one that's an investment in our people and the future of America.' C-SPAN also may be one of the few outlets not in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, who has recently talked of watching the channel, even at 3 a.m. in the morning. The network also has boosted its social media presence, including promising signs on TikTok, where C-SPAN has 2.6 million followers. According to figures from Tubular Labs and Fabric Media, C-SPAN is beating major news brands in TikTok views per video and in engagement. In the 12 months through April, C-SPAN's posts drew 710 million views, 1,184 uploads and 36.7 million engagements, outpacing The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Business. C-SPAN has plans to add three more staffers this month to its social media team, Feist said. 'We're not trying to gain clicks with flamboyant headlines and language that you might normally see on social media,' Feist said. 'We're just putting it out there for the users to find, but we're definitely putting more content out there.' The core content from C-SPAN, though, will remain live and unfiltered events, something that may be more relevant now more than ever. Feist points to Ipsos polling showing a balance of viewership across political ideology. 'We're in a fascinating political environment,' he said. 'We have a very closely divided Congress. We have a president who is active and encourages the television cameras to come in to witness what he's doing, not just him, but the work of his administration, which then leads to Democrats hosting event after event in response to the president. And we're in a position to bring all of that live to the public.' Best of Deadline 'Hacks' Season 4 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Everything We Know About 'Hacks' Season 4 So Far 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
C-SPAN Faces A Funding Crisis Amid Cord Cutting, Even As D.C.'s Drama Makes Its Mission Ever More Important
Over the past week, C-SPAN has covered the narrow, early morning vote on Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill.' It carried in full the president's at-times bizarre Oval Office clash with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. It captured the heated exchange between Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen. Patti Murray (D-WA). At times the source of humor for its offering of comprehensive coverage of extremely wonkish TV in an era of ever-short attention spans, C-SPAN has nevertheless been a go-to destination for the unedited moments in D.C. at an unprecedented era of hyper-partisanship, high anxiety and heavy drama. More from Deadline Ken Dilanian To Serve As MSNBC's Justice Correspondent And Erielle Reshef To Join Network As National Correspondent NPR And Colorado Public Radio Stations Sue Donald Trump Over Executive Order To Cease Federal Funding Donald Trump Posts All-Caps Memorial Day Message Attacking "USA Hating Judges" And "Scum" Who Are "Trying To Destroy Our Country" The irony is that the network, launched in 1979, finds itself at a crossroads. Funded by the cable industry, it has seen its revenue fall as consumers cut the cord, while the most popular streaming alternatives have yet to carry the C-SPAN channels to make up for the loss. Sam Feist, who became the new CEO of C-SPAN last year, said that the result is a 'crisis of funding,' as virtual multichannel distributors like YouTube TV and Hulu have so far declined to add the channels to their lineups. 'That adds up to many millions of dollars of revenue for this non profit,' Feist said. 'We don't get government funding. We're completely dependent on those revenues. So it's a crisis for us, and it's unsustainable over time, and more importantly, as people switch from cable to YouTube TV because it might be a slightly less expensive service, they're no longer able to see their government unfiltered the way only C-SPAN provides it.' Feist said that the cost to distributors, 7.25 cents per subscriber per month, 'may be tiny and almost insignificant to an individual household, it is what pays to keep the lights on and the cameras covering Washington here at C-SPAN.' According to its IRS filing, C-SPAN's total revenue declined to $46.3 million in the year ended on March 31, 2024, from $49.4 million a year earlier. That figure reflects a drop in programming fees, its largest revenue stream. YouTube TV, the largest of the virtual MVPDs with estimates of 8 million to 10 million subscribers, has cited direct and indirect costs to their business, which may be passed on to subscribers. A YouTube TV spokesperson said, 'Unfortunately, our subscribers have not shown sufficient interest in adding C-SPAN to the YouTube TV lineup to justify the increased cost to subscribers' monthly bills.' The streamer said that it has proposed access to their prime time channels lineup, where users could directly pay for a subscription, and YouTube TV subscribers then could add the C-SPAN channels for a fee. The spokesperson also noted that a large amount of content was available on YouTube's main platform, and generated advertising revenue for C-SPAN. Yet that hasn't come close to making up for lost revenue. According to the IRS filing, C-SPAN's advertising returns, including short spots airing before online programming, are a fraction of programming fees, at $334,412 in the 2024 fiscal year. C-SPAN also has been taking donations, but that funding source also is small compared to the carriage fees. A Hulu spokesperson did not return a request for comment. Feist said that they have explored a paywall on the C-SPAN website, which does not carry all of the programming of the linear networks, but 'what we think are the most important things.' 'That's certainly not the solution to our funding problem, and our current situation is not sustainable. When 15 to 20 million people that had C-SPAN switched to a different service and no longer do, that is not sustainable,' Feist said. Founded by Brian Lamb, C-SPAN was started in 1979, with coverage of the House of Representatives. It later expanded to another channel covering the Senate, and later added a third channel covering public affairs programming. With its funding from the cable industry, C-SPAN also has served as a way for individual operators to show local communities their commitment to public service programming. Through the years, as multichannel viewing expanded to satellite and fiber, services like DirecTV and Fios also carried the networks. C-SPAN's areas of coverage now extend beyond Capitol Hill to the White House, the campaign trail, and even to live and consequential events like the recent papal conclave. C-SPAN has long sought televised coverage of the Supreme Court, and a breakthrough of sorts was seen during the pandemic, when the justices allowed live audio feeds of oral arguments. This fall will bring a high-profile addition to its programming lineup, in keeping with the network's mandate to remain neutral in the partisan fray. CeaseFire will feature lawmakers and other politicos of opposite parties seeking areas of agreement, rather than contentious argument. The show is Feist's idea, having joined C-SPAN after almost 35 years at CNN, including 13 years as senior vice president and Washington bureau chief. He also once oversaw CNN's Crossfire, which helped popularize the panel format but may be the opposite of what CeaseFire is trying to achieve. Crossfire, Feist said, 'was an important program that really helped you understand where Republicans were coming from, where Democrats were coming from. It was a raucous debate show. People enjoyed it. People watched it. It was frequently the most popular program on CNN in its heyday. But it wasn't a program that really led to common ground or compromise. And in America now, we're living through one of the most polarized periods at least in modern history. There seems to not be a lot of effort to seek common ground, at least in the media, or seek compromise.' Feist said that he's spoken to more than 100 members of Congress, including the question 'who's your best friend on the other side?' 'In almost every case, the member of Congress I was talking to gave me a name,' Feist said. When told about plans for the show, 'every single one of them said yes.' 'Now whether they'll actually come on or not, that is still to be determined. Maybe someone's staffer will think they'd rather have purity than compromise,' he said. 'But I don't think we'll have trouble finding people.' That said, Feist made clear that his 'number one mission right now is to help increase our distribution. It's actually to restore our distribution.' Some of the stars of C-SPAN — members of Congress — have put on the pressure. Last week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Mike Flood (R-NE) wrote recently in Newsweek that C-SPAN's 7.25 cents per month fee is well below those of commercial news channels, including Fox News, at $2.50 per subscriber, and CNN, at $1.30. They wrote that it was even more essential to secure carriage on major streamers as younger audiences abandon linear TV. They wrote, 'While carrying C-SPAN may not dramatically grow YouTubeTV or Hulu's subscriber numbers, it provides viewers with an essential resource for understanding what their government is doing—letting them see for themselves what is going on in Washington. We recognize that this is a public service, but it's one that's an investment in our people and the future of America.' C-SPAN also may be one of the few outlets not in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, who has recently talked of watching the channel, even at 3 a.m. in the morning. The network also has boosted its social media presence, including promising signs on TikTok, where C-SPAN has 2.6 million followers. According to figures from Tubular Labs and Fabric Media, C-SPAN is beating major news brands in TikTok views per video and in engagement. In the 12 months through April, C-SPAN's posts drew 710 million views, 1,184 uploads and 36.7 million engagements, outpacing The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Business. C-SPAN has plans to add three more staffers this month to its social media team, Feist said. 'We're not trying to gain clicks with flamboyant headlines and language that you might normally see on social media,' Feist said. 'We're just putting it out there for the users to find, but we're definitely putting more content out there.' The core content from C-SPAN, though, will remain live and unfiltered events, something that may be more relevant now more than ever. Feist points to Ipsos polling showing a balance of viewership across political ideology. 'We're in a fascinating political environment,' he said. 'We have a very closely divided Congress. We have a president who is active and encourages the television cameras to come in to witness what he's doing, not just him, but the work of his administration, which then leads to Democrats hosting event after event in response to the president. And we're in a position to bring all of that live to the public.' Best of Deadline 'Hacks' Season 4 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Everything We Know About 'Hacks' Season 4 So Far 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
C-SPAN To Launch New Weekly Series ‘CeaseFire' In Which Partisans Talk About Areas Of Agreement
C-SPAN plans to debut a new weekly series this fall that will be a twist on many cable panel shows: Instead of arguing, politicos will talk about where they find agreement. CeaseFire is the brainchild of CEO Sam Feist, who departed CNN last year to lead the public affairs network. It was CNN that pioneered the left vs. right face off on its long-running Crossfire, which Feist once oversaw. More from Deadline Bill Mechanic On Trump & Hollywood Tariff Quick-Fix - Sequel Guest Column Bruce Springsteen Says Trump Is Running "A Corrupt, Incompetent And Treasonous Administration" Judge Hears Arguments In Corporation For Public Broadcasting's Challenge To Donald Trump's Removal Of Three Board Members CeaseFire will feature members of Congress and national figures 'who typically wouldn't be paired, sitting down together to honestly discuss what they agree on, not what they don't,' per C-SPAN. 'In a media landscape that too often rewards outrage over understanding, CeaseFire stands out by showing what respectful, principled conversation looks like,' Feist said in a statement. 'C-SPAN may be the only television network in 2025 uniquely equipped to air a program like this—operating as a non-profit public service, we aren't driven by ratings or drama, but by a mission to inform, educate and empower an engaged citizenry.' The New York Times first reported on the new show. C-SPAN is funded by cable and satellite companies and, amid more consumers cutting the cord, has been in a push to expand to streaming. But one of the largest services, YouTube TV, has so far been resistant to carry the channel. The network has drawn the attention of one key viewer: President Donald Trump. He has recently talked of watching the channel, even at 3 a.m. in the morning. Best of Deadline Where To Watch All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies: Streamers With Multiple Films In The Franchise Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far 'Bridgerton' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
C-SPAN's Next Big Bet Is a 'Radically Different' Sort of Cable News Show: ‘CeaseFire'
Can a 'radically different' cable news show help C-SPAN make an impact in a radically divided Washington D.C.? The non-profit public affairs channel has ordered a new weekly program called CeaseFire (yes, it's a play on the late and lamented CNN show CrossFire), a show in which 'Democrats and Republicans come together to solve problems and discuss the great challenges facing our nation,' per the channel. More from The Hollywood Reporter CNN to Air Live Broadcast of George Clooney's 'Good Night and Good Luck' in Broadway First Springstreen Slams "Corrupt, Incompetent, and Treasonous" Trump Administration CNN Sending Eva Longoria to France as 'Searching For' Franchise Expands (Exclusive) Debuting in the fall, CeaseFire 'will offer viewers across the country something radically different during a time when division and dysfunction dominate the national conversation.' The program is the first big swing by Sam Feist, who joined C-SPAN from CNN a year ago (yes, he also produced CrossFire). Feist has leaned into C-SPAN's roots as an unbiased and unfiltered chronicler of national politics, with live feeds and coverage of Congress that traditional cable channels mostly ignore. 'In a media landscape that too often rewards outrage over understanding, CeaseFire stands out by showing what respectful, principled conversation looks like,' said C-SPAN CEO Feist. 'C-SPAN may be the only television network in 2025 uniquely equipped to air a program like this — operating as a non-profit public service, we aren't driven by ratings or drama, but by a mission to inform, educate and empower an engaged citizenry.' The concept will see politicians and other figures from opposite sides of the aisle sitting down to discuss the things they agree on, while avoiding the topics they don't. 'This program creates a space for two leaders — dedicated to respectful dialogue — to explore common ground, spotlight bipartisan cooperation, and model the constructive behavior essential to a thriving democracy,' C-SPAN says. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise 'Yellowstone' and the Sprawling Dutton Family Tree, Explained
Epoch Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
C-SPAN Asks Supreme Court to Allow TV Coverage of Birthright Citizenship Case
C-SPAN is urging the Supreme Court to allow live video coverage of oral arguments next week regarding President Donald Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. On May 7, the public-affairs cable television network made public a Last month, the Supreme Court left in place lower court orders blocking Trump's policy of limiting birthright citizenship for certain individuals and 'This case holds profound national significance,' Feist wrote in the April 23 letter. 'Its implications—legal, political, and personal—will affect millions of Americans. In light of this, we believe the public interest is best served through live television coverage of the proceedings. The public deserves to witness—fully and directly—how such a consequential issue is argued before the highest court in the land.' Permitting live video coverage of the case would offer 'Americans outside the few seated inside the Court, the ability to also see how critical issues are debated and decided at the highest level,' he wrote. Related Stories 4/17/2025 3/13/2025 C-SPAN stands 'ready to work with the Court to ensure that this broadcast is conducted with the dignity and respect befitting the occasion,' Feist added. The Supreme Court currently provides a live audio feed of oral arguments on its website and is expected to do so on May 15. Members of the public may Trump's Executive Order 14160, signed on Jan. 20, In filings for the appeal, the Department of Justice did not ask the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the executive order itself, although it acknowledged that the birthright citizenship question raises 'important constitutional questions with major ramifications for securing the border.' Instead, the department made what it called a 'modest' request. 'While the parties litigate weighty questions, the Court should 'restrict the scope' of multiple preliminary injunctions that 'purport to cover every person ... in the country,' limiting those injunctions to parties actually within the courts' power,' it wrote. According to Trump's executive order, an individual born in the United States is not 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' if that person's mother was unlawfully present in the country and the individual's father was not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of the person's birth. It also states that the privilege of U.S. citizenship does not apply to an individual whose mother's presence was lawful but temporary and whose father was neither a citizen nor a lawful permanent resident at the time of that individual's birth. The executive order prompted debate over the meaning of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, which states, 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.' Critics of Trump's order have cited the Supreme Court's landmark 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, in which the court held that the 14th Amendment granted birthright citizenship to a Chinese man whose parents were legally present in the United States. In CASA Inc. v. Trump, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman of Maryland Boardman wrote that she was issuing a nationwide injunction against the executive order because 'only a nationwide injunction will provide complete relief to the plaintiffs' in the case. Nationwide injunctions, also known as non-party or universal injunctions, set policy for the entire country. Such injunctions have become controversial in recent years as they have become increasingly common. Since Trump began his second term, multiple federal district judges have issued injunctions blocking his policies, leading to calls from congressional Republicans to impeach district judges and restrict their injunction-granting powers. On April 9, the House The Epoch Times reached out to the Supreme Court's public information office for comment on the letter. No reply was received by publication time.
