C-SPAN: 25 YEARS VIEWER CALL-IN CONTEST

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Krystal Reyes
Moline, IL
Cable Company: Satellite Radio

Most Memorable Moment

Since I am 23, and the call in show began two years before I was born, my moment is from recent history. It was June, 2005 and an elderly woman called the Washington Journal. I don't remember the topic but the host asked her what she thought about it. She responded, "I don't want to comment without hearing more information." The host replied, "Then why are you calling this morning?" What ensued was a wonderful treat. Ms. O'Reilly had called to thank C-SPAN, but ended up telling us about her life, her husband, her divorce, and her children. At the end of the conversation, the host asked permission to request her name. "Sure you can," and then she told us her first and last name.

I don't think there was a person listening who wasn't smiling. She sounded like such a kind and intelligent woman. It was that little touch of humanity among the politics and the policy that made the moment memorable. I am sure others share that moment, so I hope it gets highlighted.

I'm submitting an essay because I feel that not enough young people are represented or call in to C-SPAN. I am guilty of that. Many times I was inches away from calling in but hesitated. I feel that my young voice would give me away, or that the host will ask my age and qualify my opinion. I am writing because even if we don't call in, we are listening. Thank you C-SPAN.

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Carolyn Ross
Oxford, MS
Cable Company: Vista III Media

When my housemate finds me up early watching Washington Journal she asks, "Why? Why put yourself through all that grief?"

I tell her for the umpteenth time that I want to know how the country feels on important issues. I think it's vital for citizens in a representative democracy, or democratic republic, to hear all facets of current thought. So I listen. The calls fall into three categories: 1) scripted talking points, 2) clear, heartfelt statements, and 3) emotional rambling of varying levels of incivility.

Recognizable voices delivering clearly scripted messages month after month should state what their work-related affiliation to the message is. Providing a national microphone for propaganda is not the same as providing an outlet for citizens wanting to share their ideas.

Hearing the heartfelt exhortations of citizens deeply concerned about an issue, particularly when the prevailing wisdom contradicts their deeply held moral conviction, seems worthwhile to me. No matter how idiosyncratic their viewpoint, listening to one another's concerns can help each of us formulate a broader viewpoint that allows for greater harmony within our large, diverse society.

Uncivil ranting is sad.

Why do I continue to listen? Because this is the most representative self-selected sample of what's on America's mind on a given day. I don't hear all three hours most days. Life intervenes. But listening regularly for about ten years has proved valuable in enlarging my viewpoint.

Best wishes to C-SPAN on its 25th anniversary of call-ins, a real citizen service!

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Diane Schockey
Gaylord, MI
Cable Company: Charter Cable Company

I have been a dedicated C-SPAN viewer for 15 years and continue to learn something every time I watch the C-SPAN guests. But much more importantly, I have learned to listen to the callers.

Right after the September 11th attack, a young man called in who had been in the World Trade Center right after the explosions and ensuing chaos. He told Brian Lamb that another man who was trying to help with this grave and dangerous situation had convinced him to leave the World Trade Center, even though this young man had clearly wanted to stay and help if he could. Right after the young man left, the Towers fell, killing the man who had convinced him to leave. The young man was clearly in anguish about all of this, but gave a detailed account what had happened and what he had seen. Mr. Lamb kept him on the line and interviewed him at length about the events until the young man seemed finished with his account.

Of everything that has aired on C-SPAN since September 11th and its aftermath (the analysis, the inquiries, the legislation, the arguments) I still remember this single call, the young man who made it, and C-SPAN for its open phones.

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Joel Lawrence Steinberg
Fairfax Station, VA
Cable Company: Satellite TV

Above all other democratic values, I believe in the right to communicate embodied in our very First Amendment. I believe that every mass media system exists to protect and enhance not just our access to crucial information, but our right to speak out with our own voice.

I listen to C-SPAN's call-in programs because they adhere to the principles on which our country was founded, and because they fulfill a duty largely neglected by most other radio and television programming - they operate in the public interest by offering, to all citizens, the opportunity to become active participants in our democratic discourse instead of simply passive consumers of information.

C-SPAN's call-in programs are among the last of our commons. They provide us with a comfortable place to sound off in the marketplace of ideas, no matter what our take is. And they give us access to elected officials and other persons of influence in our government and our Nation.

C-SPAN's callers are genuinely intertwined with the fate of our country, and you can hear it in their voices. I love to hear people from any and (almost) every different perspective say how much they love and appreciate the programs. If I were a gamblin' man, I'd bet the farm that "Thank you for C-SPAN" is the most frequently uttered phrase on C-SPAN.

I have not yet called-in to a C-SPAN program, but once I do, I will say thank you and promise to wait my 30 days until I call again.

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Carole Troll
Woodhaven, NY
Cable Company: Time Warner

My Intellectual Addiction To C-SPAN's Washington Journal

During the 1992 presidential campaign, I became so hungry for any and all political information, that I channel surfed my way to C-SPAN. One morning, you had Mary Matalin as a guest. Being a Liberal and not afraid of the word, I jumped at the chance to challenge this conservative woman on the issues motivating the George H. W. Bush campaign. I actually saw her a little speechless as I proceeded to hit her with contradiction after contradiction. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I was hooked from that point on.

I consider myself a faux activist of sorts because I could never run for office. I am a professional actress with union affiliations! Those two categories seem to disqualify Liberals these days! My need for a daily political fix is so great that I have to turn on Washington Journal every morning. The only time I can't get it is when I am traveling and hotels don't provide it. It should be required viewing in all hotels!

Every morning I get to play " Representative Troll" from New York. Sometimes I become so animated I am moved to call. When I can't get through, I enjoy the give and take from other callers. Your moderators exude discipline and patience.

Thanks for being unfiltered! You satisfy the actress in me by allowing me to play a politician on television and feeding my intellectual addiction to C-SPAN!

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Patrick Turner
Hermosa Beach, CA
Cable Company: Adelphia

Mirroring the Light

It's quiet at 4-am and my thoughts are slow
Coffee brews sweet aroma in cobweb rooms
Light flickering from the electronic box
Ebbing away darkness that holds our homes

You reflect the song of freedom in prose discourse
Stirring rebuttal and informed conversation
Flushing out the truth you brighten our soul
As True Patriots wait minutes for Warhol's moment

We the People have The Port in a Political storm
To speak our mind in any and all form
Venting extreme frustrations of a people scorned
Yet the true treasures lie between

We the People have a Place to listen
A Place to hear our village voice
Other channels pontificate Blah blah blah
With political speak and social ga ga ga

Knowledge, common sense or stupidity
It depends on your position of relativity
Washington Journal Forever Eternal
Mirroring the light of Democracy

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ONLINE PRESS KIT >>

Contest Winners
Read the essays of the 25 contest winners.

Press Releases
Sep. 28, 2005 -- Winners Named in C-SPAN Viewer Essay Contest Marking 25 Years of Viewer Calls

Sep. 14, 2005 -- C-SPAN Marks 25 Years Of Viewer Calls-Ins With LIVE, 25-Hour Call-In Program On Oct. 7

Aug. 17, 2005 -- C-SPAN Marks 25 Years Of Viewer Calls-Ins With LIVE, 25-Hour Call-In Program On Oct. 7

News Articles
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) - Oct. 10, 2005
Talkers Magazine - Cover Story Oct. 2005
Jewish World Review - Columnist David Brooks, Nov. 1999

History of Call-Ins on Radio and Television
A timeline of call-in programs

Evolution of Call-Ins on C-SPAN
A timeline of call-in programs at C-SPAN

More about C-SPAN's 25 Years of Viewer Call-Ins
Background information on C-SPAN call-in programs

Contact Us
Send e-mails to C-SPAN