C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb created a fiercely independent TV network : It's not beholden to advertisers or Congress. But his career proves that an entrepreneurial dream isn't enough — you must know when to heed advice from mentors.
In high school, Lamb took a class in broadcast journalism. His teacher urged him to practice and improve skills he'd need later. Fast-forward a few years and Lamb worked in radio and television. His supportive bosses often said, "Try anything and see what happens."
Guided by mentors who let him learn and grow, Lamb gained experience and developed an on-air persona that served him well in the decades to come. In 1979, he launched C-SPAN, a cable network that provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of the U.S. Congress.
Build A Valuable Service Like The C-SPAN Founder
Lamb, 81, served as C-SPAN's chief executive from 1979 to 2012. When the nonprofit network debuted in March 1979, it carried the first television feed from the U.S. House of Representatives. It reached about three million American homes.
From its modest start, C-SPAN expanded into a treasure trove of resources on the workings of American government. Today, it includes three TV channels devoted to public affairs programming, radio stations, podcasts and an extensive video library. It reaches nearly 60 million American households. And its mobile app and website engage a global audience.
But Lamb knew how to find and get help along the way. He credits the cable industry's financial support from the outset as a key to C-SPAN's survival as a nonprofit. He also lauds his mentors for their willingness to let him test various programming ideas.
"They never said, 'No, no, no, you can't do that,' " he recalled.
Lamb: Get A Head Start With Good Advice, Ideas
Lamb's openness to new ideas led him to found C-SPAN when he was in his late 30s. By then, the Indiana native had graduated from Purdue University with a degree in speech. He'd also spent four years in the Navy, took jobs in the White House and Pentagon, and became a journalist.
As Washington bureau chief of Cablevision magazine in the mid-1970s, he knew that the nascent cable industry sought content for its customers. He also knew that Congress was exploring how to televise its proceedings.
"I had this idea and a desire to make it come to life," he said.
Expand At A Steady Clip Like Lamb
Many visionary leaders like Apple founder Steve Jobs succeeded through force of will and ego. But Lamb blends goal-driven passion with humility.
In growing C-SPAN into a powerhouse, Lamb surrounded himself with executives who possessed experience that he lacked. And he heeded their advice.
"Starting out, I didn't know anything about business and (raising) money," Lamb said. "I hadn't taken a loan out or created a business plan. So I'd spend time with business people, like (Cablevision magazine publisher) Bob Titsch, and I'd listen to them."
In the early 1980s, Lamb was eager to launch a second C-SPAN network to televise Senate proceedings. But Jim Whitson, a successful business leader and C-SPAN founding board member, urged Lamb to slow down and wait a few years to expand.
"I didn't like it," Lamb recalled. "But I took his advice. I knew I had to listen to for-profit people" who understood how to grow a business.
C-SPAN launched its second network in June 1986, becoming the first channel to carry live sessions of the Senate.
Don't Push Too Hard
In C-SPAN's early days, Lamb says one of his biggest challenges was channeling his entrepreneurial energy without pushing too hard.
"I had to work at keeping my mouth shut," he said. "When you're in (Washington) D.C., you're around a lot of aggressive people. More than one (member of Congress) felt I was going too far, too fast. I had some major confrontations with them. I had to be careful about being too zealous."
Lamb: Make Every Word Count
Lamb's ability to listen and zip his lips powered his success as an on-air interviewer. Over thousands of interviews — including eight U.S. presidents, foreign leaders and top nonfiction book authors — he mastered the art of asking succinct questions and then keeping quiet.
"It comes from being a TV viewer," he said. "I don't know how many times I've looked at the screen and said, 'Shut up!' (Interviewers) have got all these interesting people and they've gone through all this set up. I don't want them to tell me what they're going to talk about."
Lamb rarely interrupts his guests. Through quick follow-up queries, he allows them to reveal more of themselves and share details that they might otherwise omit.
Thanks to his diligent pre-interview research, he comes prepared to cover lots of ground. The conversation never sputters because of his boundless curiosity. And he invites guests to reflect on their experience or expertise and fill in facts about their background.
"He's the best interviewer I've ever seen," said Jack Frazee, former chairman of the C-SPAN executive committee. "It's because he's truly interested in people."
Learn How To Understand People
Lamb also knows how to read people. He's patient and willing to wait for the right moment to try to persuade others.
After C-SPAN's launch, he wanted the Washington Post to list the fledgling network in its TV programming guide. But in the late 1970s, there was no cable presence in the nation's capital so the whole concept was new.
"(Post publisher) Katharine Graham is a friend," Bob Rosencrans, C-SPAN's first chairman of the executive committee, told Lamb. "Let's go meet her."
"We walk in and they start talking for 15 or 20 minutes," Lamb recalled. "She basically ignores me" until the conversation finally shifts in Lamb's direction. Unruffled, Lamb made his case.
Many years later, Graham appeared on C-SPAN's interview show, "Booknotes," to discuss her 1997 autobiography. "She did a terrific interview," Lamb said. "I don't know if she remembered meeting me."
C-SPAN Founder Lamb Sticks To His Principles
Another key to Lamb's success as an interviewer is his egoless attitude. He doesn't try to impose his personality or divert attention from the guest.
"I don't consider myself that important or that smart," he said. "I'm not there to outdo them. I'm not there to embarrass them."
Strong-willed people, from politicians to media celebrities, have tried to overpower Lamb. But he's no pushover.
In 2003, "60 Minutes" creator Don Hewitt wrote a memoir. Lamb was slated to be Hewitt's first interview on his book tour. When TV personality Barbara Walters heard that, she called Lamb and urged him to let her interview Hewitt first. He said no.
"She called back and said, 'If you step aside, I'll promote you and your network on my show,' " he recalled. "I still said no."
Frazee, who has known Lamb for more than 40 years, told his five children that he hoped they would "grow up to be like Brian Lamb."
"Here's a guy who saw a need and went out and did it," Frazee said. "I'm sure many people told him it would never happen, but that didn't stop him. He convinces people in a quiet way, building consensus with such humility. And he's steadfast in his principles."
Brian Lamb's Keys:
- Launched C-SPAN in 1979 and served as CEO for 33 years as it grew into three TV channels along with radio stations, podcasts and other resources that now reach nearly 60 million households.
- Overcame: Lack of business knowledge of the TV industry.
- Lesson: "You have to train yourself to listen."
