C-SPAN2: Bus gives glimpse of 'destination television'
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By David Burke | Wednesday, September 19, 2007 |
Members of the Manuel family, Franki, Mark, Elliott and Rachel, from Davenport, sit in the studio of C-SPAN2’s Book TV Bus in front of the Davenport Public Library-Fairmount Street Tuesday. Beginning this weekend, Book TV airs 48 hours of non-fiction book programming on a variety of topics including history, biographies, politics, current events and the media. Buy this Photo
The behemoth bus in the parking lot of Davenport Public Library-Fairmount Street on Tuesday evening opened itself up to visitors and showed itself off as a mobile television studio.
The C-SPAN2 bus included information on the public affairs network, specifically its weekend-long Book TV programming.
More than 100 people stopped inside the bus during its two-hour stay Tuesday, according to Angela Campbell, library public relations director.
Today, it will be at the farmers market in the parking lot of John O’Donnell Stadium in Davenport from 8 a.m. to noon.
Scott Peterson, a C-SPAN2 spokesman, answered the public’s questions in a nearly non-stop monologue during its stay in the library.
“This is to let people know we’re out there,” Peterson said of the Washington, D.C.-based cable channel.
Peterson explained to visitors how the network strives to keep a balance between conservative and liberal guests and viewpoints, and how its Book TV programming corrals authors of non-fiction books from around the country.
Before its stop in Davenport, it spent the day at Iowa City to talk to three authors from the University of Iowa. Later today, it will stop at the University of Illinois, and later this week at Indiana University.
Peterson explained how the mobile TV studio, complete with two chairs, bright lights, monitors and a miniature control panel, worked.
The setup, he said, satisfied both adults and children.
“For the kids, it’s more of a curiosity about TV,” he said. “For the adults, it’s more about C-SPAN.”
Book TV was introduced by C-SPAN2 in September 2005, and has developed a loyal legion of fans, Peterson said.
“It’s destination television for them,” he said.
Peterson said he was impressed with the political savvy of residents of the Hawkeye state.
“Once you get in Iowa, everybody gets so political it’s awesome,” he said. “It’s like being in D.C.”
The bus is en route back to Washington, D.C., where it will be utilized for campaign coverage through November 2008.
“With a presidential election coming up, we want to be bigger than ever before, especially for people in Iowa,” he said.
David Burke can be contacted at
(563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com.
Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
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