C-SPAN School Bus shows Topekans what network provides

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Apr 5, 2003 by Alicia Henrikson Capital-Journal

C-SPAN School Bus

There are two C-SPAN buses. The first bus began making rounds Nov. 1, 1993. The second bus was thrown into the mix on Jan. 1, 1996.

Features of the buses:

- 13 feet tall and 44,000 pounds (22 tons)

- 192-gallon gas tank

- Life span of from 40 to 50 years and 4 to 5 million miles

On the road:

- Since 1993 both buses have spent more than 2,600 days on the road

- The buses traveled more than 30,000 miles in 2002

- The buses have stopped at all nine presidential libraries, all 50 states and state capitals and more than 2,000 communities

Source: C-SPAN.org

By Alicia Henrikson

The Capital-Journal

Doug Hemming doesn't expect students to run home and tune into the latest public forum on C-SPAN after they spend time on one of the network's two special school buses.

"We just want to let them know that this is available to them and it can be a great learning tool," said Hemming, an account representative for the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network.

The C-SPAN School Bus stopped Friday afternoon at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. It will be in Kansas City, Mo., this weekend and back in Topeka on Monday at Highland Park High School before trucking over to Salina.

Worth about $1 million, the C-SPAN school bus has a media demonstration area to show people what the network provides and to inform people about its mission. The bus also doubles as a television studio complete with TV cameras, audio board and studio lighting. The studio, in fact, has been used for content on C-SPAN.

The C-SPAN School Bus was launched in 1993. A second C-SPAN School Bus began being used in January 1996 to respond to the many requests from schools and local affiliates, said Karla A. Morgan, community relations representative for C-SPAN.

About 45 feet long, 9 feet wide and painted a pale yellow with pictures of national monuments on the sides, the C-SPAN bus is hard to miss. That works out well for the network because the bus is essentially its only form of advertising.

About 280 people are employed by C-SPAN, which is based in Washington, D.C. Some of the employees work on the two C-SPAN buses, which are on the road 11 months each year. The buses have visited all 50 capitols and states.

C-SPAN is the eighth-largest network and is a nonprofit company created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a public service. The network's mission is to provide public access to the political process.

Hemming said the network reaches more than 80 million homes. He said network officials know people are watching because they make suggestions and they call the shows.

"If people have a suggestion, we're happy to listen," he said. "A person's suggestion can even change how we do something."

Additionally, nothing broadcast on C-SPAN is copyrighted, so people can tape and reuse anything seen on the networks without the risk of being sent to prison.

"It's not flashy, but our mission is to inform," Hemming said.

Alicia Henrikson can be reached at

(785) 295-1192 or ahenrikson@cjonline.com

ANN WILLIAMSON/The Capital-Journal

Doug Hemming, an account representative for C-SPAN, shows the different programming on the cable channel, which also includes footage from British Parliament. The C-SPAN School Bus stopped in Topeka on Friday for tours at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.

Listen to a C-SPAN representative discuss a tour across the country during a stop in Topeka.

www.cjonline.com