📡 40 years ago, C-SPAN2 was born

Dear C-SPAN Supporter,

Forty years ago — on June 2, 1986 — C-SPAN2 carried its first-ever LIVE U.S. Senate session. No commentary. No commercials. Just democracy, on camera, for anyone who wanted to watch.

We wanted to share this milestone with you, because your support is part of what makes it possible.

Here’s what four decades of gavel-to-gavel coverage looks like:

• 43,830 hours of Senate sessions recorded

• 169,000+ speeches preserved from across the political spectrum

• 23,493 roll call votes documented

• 359 senators’ voices in the archive — every party, every era

C-SPAN operates without government funding or oversight — and always has. That independence is the foundation of everything we do, and viewer donations like yours help us protect it. Thank you.

This milestone hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last year, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing C-SPAN as an essential conduit between the Senate and the American public. We’re proud of that recognition. But we’re prouder of what it represents: 40 years of giving Americans a direct, unfiltered view of their own government.

And this week, on the Senate floor, three senators marked the occasion in their own words:

“On this day 40 years ago, C-SPAN broadcast the United States Senate for the very first time ... it’s ensured that what happens here is lost neither to the day’s news cycle nor to history. I trust that C-SPAN will continue to offer the American people a front-row seat to the Senate for many decades to come.”

“I am here to say happy 40th birthday to C-SPAN2, broadcasting democracy in the Senate to the American people. I have to confess to you that, 40 years ago today, I voted ‘no’ on the Senate being televised. I thought it would hurt the decorum of the U.S. Senate. Whether it has hurt the decorum of the U.S. Senate or not, I am not going to make a judgment on that today. But I do tell you that, on reflection, I am glad that the Senate is televised to make government more real to the American people. So, I guess I would have to confess that I cast the wrong vote 40 years ago.”

“Today, we mark 40 years since C-SPAN began its coverage of the United States Senate, bringing the work of this body directly into people’s living rooms. It doesn’t seem very radical right now … but back then it was revolutionary.”

So take a trip down memory lane and explore our anniversary collection website full of video highlights, historic moments, and four decades of Senate history. We hope it will jog some memories of consequential, dramatic and even entertaining Senate floor moments.

In addition, a special two-part episode of C-SPAN’s podcast Extreme Mortman features audience-chosen favorite moments from the Senate floor over the past 40 years – with reaction to the audience-selected clips from Paul Kane, Carl Hulse, and Chad Pergram.
 
Thank you for being part of this mission and cheers to many more!

With gratitude,

C-SPAN

Preserve the Legacy. Power the Present. Shape the Future.
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