STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Just about every source of news in this country has had to deal with technological change - people getting their information and entertainment in new ways - and that includes C-SPAN. It was started by TV cable providers, funded by them and offered on traditional cable, which a lot of Americans no longer have. Sam Feist, C-SPAN's chief executive officer, hopes to get C-SPAN on streaming services.
SAM FEIST: It's the only service that does what C-SPAN does. We provide coverage of the House and the Senate and committee hearings and unfiltered coverage of the president, the president's top officials. So there really isn't that service that does what C-SPAN does.
INSKEEP: Feist is trying to move C-SPAN into the future, and also trying to change the way that C-SPAN covers the government and the country.
Do you ever think about broadening it out - you know, game shows, reality TV?
FEIST: Well, some people think that American politics, particularly in 2025, is a reality TV show.
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
FEIST: It's a fast-moving, fast-paced - maybe as fast as any time that I've seen in Washington. But we're adding new programs. We're launching a new program this fall called "Ceasefire." That's something that we have not done before. And we've added more live content to make sure that everything that's happening in real time, people can see.
INSKEEP: Do you worry about broadcasting lies?
FEIST: Of course we do. We think about that all the time. One of the things that we're known for is unfiltered coverage. So we'll show you an entire committee hearing. We're not going to just show you one piece of it. And if a Republican or a Democrat says something that the other has a problem with, you will immediately hear the response. But we're not a news channel. We don't fact-check in the same way that The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal might.
INSKEEP: So you mentioned a program called "Ceasefire." What is this new program you've come to talk with us about?
FEIST: So I spent many years at CNN. I produced a program called "Crossfire," which was a raucous debate program where the left and the right battled it out. The purpose of the program was not to really find common ground or compromise. It was really to have a raucous debate. And when Michael Kinsley, the legendary progressive TV host and columnist and magazine editor - when he left "Crossfire," he and I visited. And he said, Sam, one day you should do a program called "Ceasefire." Try to see if there's an opportunity to find those places where Democrats and Republicans do agree, because there are a lot more than the public would see.
And that little voice - Michael Kinsley's voice - has been inside my head for years. And I got to C-SPAN last fall, and we're going to launch "Ceasefire" this fall. And the idea is that we're going to bring on Republicans and Democrats to, at least during this program, not focus on where you disagree. Focus on where you agree, check the acrimony at the door and see if we can find some common ground.
INSKEEP: What has been the response as you've talked about this idea?
FEIST: It's been remarkable. We've had members of Congress and senators who've personally reached out to say, I want to do that show. Here's who I'd like to go on with. My best friend in the House or my best friend in the Senate is actually a Republican, or is actually a Democrat. And so I think America needs this.
INSKEEP: Do you worry about missing the point with a program like this? Because we are in a moment where people are questioning everything, and there are real, not fake divisions about almost everything.
FEIST: Absolutely. And there's plenty of time for that, and that is 98% of what you see on TV today. And this program is not going to solve all the divisions in America. But at our core, I am one of those people who believe that Americans actually agree on more than they disagree. I mean, we had Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton in the '90s reach a balanced budget for the first time in a generation. It hasn't happened since. Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill worked together on saving Social Security, on saving the economy, on ending the Cold War. Ronald Reagan believed that government was the problem and Tip O'Neill believed government was the solution, and yet they found common ground. They were friends. They worked together. That's what this program is about for me.
INSKEEP: I think you're fundamentally right. People are human beings, and they do tend to be more on the same page than they may even feel like they are. But it does seem that the financial and political incentives run all the other way right now.
FEIST: I think that is true, but this isn't a new thing in America. There was a book I read once called "Differ We Must."
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
FEIST: I think a guy named Steve Inskeep came on C-SPAN to talk about it, and the cover of the book was a red-blue divide. This is not new in America. Doesn't mean we can't get some things done.
INSKEEP: Sam Feist, thanks so much. It's a pleasure talking with you.
FEIST: Thank you, Steve.
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