C-SPAN turns 45

NEWS AND OPINION:

Let’s have a round of applause for C-SPAN, which marks its 45th year of covering Congress on Tuesday. A mission statement offers some clues about the public affairs cable channel’s remarkable longevity.

“On March 19, 1979, it started as a bold experiment: the cable industry first brought C-SPAN’s gavel-to-gavel coverage of the House of Representatives into America’s living rooms. Since then, C-SPAN has been documenting political history with a unique approach — unfiltered and without commentary — from Congress to the White House to the courts, on the campaign trail, and beyond,” C-SPAN said in a statement marking the occasion.

“45 years later, the technology has changed but our mission continues. Now with a multi-platform presence — three TV networks, C-SPAN Now app, C-SPAN Radio, C-SPAN.org , our new connected-TV streaming app, C-SPAN Select, social media, podcasts and newsletters — C-SPAN remains the go-to resource for coverage of the U.S. Congress and so much more,” the statement said.

There were only four employees on the job in the very beginning: Brian Lamb, Jana Dabrowski Fay, Don Houle and Brian Lockman.

“Those four transmitted the first television feed from the U.S. House of Representatives to C‑SPAN viewers on March 19, 1979, the first day the House allowed television coverage of its floor debates. That televised congressional session began with a one-minute speech by then-Congressman Al Gore and reached just 3 million American homes,” the statement added.

No government or taxpayer dollars support C-SPAN, by the way. It continues to be funded primarily by cable and satellite companies that provide services to consumers.

The channel is generous in sharing its resources. All C-SPAN content is archived online and is free for public use — and now includes 300,000 hours of video. Find this mother lode of information, current programming and more at C-SPAN.org. And find news of the anniversary itself at https://www.c-span.org/45/.

NOW HEAR THIS

There’s a spate of interesting hearings on Capitol Hill this week. House Republicans, in fact, will conduct 41 hearings Tuesday through Thursday — and here are just a few of them, provided to Inside the Beltway by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise:

On Tuesday, the Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a full committee hearing, “An Assessment of the Biden Administration’s Withdrawal From Afghanistan by America’s Generals.”

The Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology will hold a hearing titled “Securing Our Nation From WMDs: A Review of the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office.”

Here’s a sample of what takes place Wednesday;

The Committee on Agriculture will hold a full committee hearing called “The Danger China Poses to American Agriculture,” of interest to those who are aware that China owns 384,000 acres of the nation’s agricultural land and seeks to buy up some of the nation’s choice farmland, this according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other sources.

The Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and related agencies will hold an oversight hearing called “Quality of Life in the Military.”

The Committee on Oversight and Accountability will hold a full committee hearing called “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office.”

Here are a few hearings from Thursday as well:

The Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a full committee hearing called “Countering China on the World Stage: Empowering American Businesses and Denying Chinese Military Our Technology.”

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing called “Timeout: Evaluating Safety Measures Implemented to Protect Athletes.”

And last, but certainly not least, the Committee on House Administration will hold a full committee hearing, “Safety on Capitol Hill: DC Crime’s Impact on Congressional Operations and Visitors.”

FOR THE LEXICON

“Post-achievement lifestyle.”

This phrase comes to us from Callum Borchers, a Wall Street Journal columnist who suggests that a growing number of people of a certain age and work status are rejecting the idea that they are “retiring” from their professional calling when the time comes.

“These professionals aren’t retired, they just have zero to prove. They came, they saw, they conquered work. Then they shrugged,” Mr. Borchers said in an analysis released Monday.

“Some strivers who piled up money and status say they’re over the endless hustle and are embracing what they call a ’post-achievement; lifestyle with family, health and passion projects taking priority over career accomplishments,” the columnist said.

“They came, they saw, they conquered work. Then they shrunk,” he added.

This might come as welcome news to those who fret that retirement funds could dry up.

2024 will be a record-breaking year for retirement in the U.S., with an average of 11,000 Americans a day expected to celebrate their 65th birthday from now until December.

About 4.1 million Americans are poised to turn 65 this year and every year through 2027, according to a CBS report released Jan. 29.

POLL DU JOUR

• 57% of U.S. adults say they are “very interested” in the 2024 presidential election; 67% of Republicans, 64% of Democrats and 46% of independents agree.

• 62% of men and 53% of women also agree.

• 24% say they are “somewhat interested” in the presidential election; 23% of Republicans, 24% of Democrats and 24% of independents agree.

• 23% of men and 25% of women also agree.

• 8% overall say they are “not very interested” in the election; 5% of Republicans, 6% of Democrats and 12% of independents agree.

• 7% of men and 9% of women also agree.

• 7% say they are “not at all interested” in the election; 3% of Republicans, 3% of Democrats and 12% of independents agree.

• 5% of men and 8% of women also agree.

• 4% are “not sure” about the issue; 2% of Republicans, 3% of Democrats and 6% of independents agree.

• 4% of men and 4% of women also agree.

Source: A YouGov survey of 7,198 U.S. adults conducted online on March 5.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.