Description
Book SynopsisFounding Father is the first biography of C-SPAN's Brian Lamb. It explores his experiences as a student, White House staffer, Capitol Hill press secretary, media columnist, and many other previously unknown stories, while also covering the creation and rise of C-SPAN.
Trade ReviewStephen Frantzich has written an intriguing study of one of America's greatest social entrepreneurs. I first came to Congress as C-SPAN was starting. With Brian Lamb's leadership, it became a window into the House and then into the Senate. For transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, Brian Lamb is one of the greatest innovators in American history. -- Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the House
Brian Lamb realized that Americans deserved, and would appreciate, a direct and unfiltered window into their government, politics, and intellectual life. He was a pioneer who understood that the media sometimes did best when they got out of the way. This well-reported book traces Lamb's life and describes how he changed politics in America. -- Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of
Benjamin Franklin: An American LifeInformed, informative, and superbly written, readers are provided with background insight into how Brian Lamb managed to create (and get funded) a non-commerical television operation that is even-handed and highly praised by Democrats, Republicans, Independants, Academics, and political science enthusiasts from all walks of life.... Founding Father is an essential acquisition for both academic and community library collections as well as being a 'must read.' -- Willis M. Buhle, Reviewer, Buhle's Bookshelf * Midwest Book Review *
In this first and insightful analysis of C-SPAN founder and CEO Brian Lamb, Frantzich offers not only a thoughtful biography, but, more significantly, a persuasive polemic on the values of participatory democracy....In this year's presidential campaign season, no one, as Frantzich argues, presents the American electorate with a more compelling means or reason to be energized than Lamb's network. Recommended for all libraries. -- Stephen K. Shaw * Library Journal *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 1. Introduction: A Bridge Spanning the Political Chasm Chapter 2 2. The Founding Father: Building a Bridge on a Midwestern Foundation Chapter 3 3. A Bridge to Powerdise Chapter 4 4. Building Bridge Supports Chapter 5 5. Building and Strengthening the Rickety Bridge Chapter 6 6. Bridge Maintenance: Management by Walking Around Chapter 7 Managing the Flow: The Lamb Style Chapter 8 No Star Span(g)-Led Banter Chapter 9 Maintaining the Bridge Chapter 10 The Bridge Stands Still
