Book TV has helped Louisiana authors thrive

When my daughter was small, she’d sometimes announce to the rest of the house that her dad was watching Book TV in the den. I once asked how she knew about my viewing choice without entering the room.

As she quickly explained, Book TV was easy to recognize by sound alone. “It’s always just one person talking at a time,” she told me.

That simple practice, letting someone express an opinion without interruption, was so rare on TV back then that it got my daughter’s attention. Civic life has now grown even angrier, which is why Book TV, a weekend block of literary programming on C-SPAN 2, is all the more important as a forum for civil discourse.

All of this came to mind a few weeks ago when Book TV host Peter Slen chatted with me through Zoom about the value of revisiting classic books as we get older. I’d written on the topic, and it led to my conversation with Slen, part of a recent episode of his “About Books” program. You can easily find the interview online.

Slen finished our talk by mentioning my home state of Louisiana, which got me thinking, after we’d signed off, about the many other local voices featured on Book TV over the years. C-SPAN crews have covered major literary gatherings in our part of the world, including the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge and the New Orleans Book Festival on Tulane’s campus.

Book TV has helped many Louisiana writers, including Walter Isaacson, John Barry and the late Stephen Ambrose, reach national audiences.

C-SPAN is also scrupulously nonpartisan, giving authors along a wide range of the political spectrum a safe place to discuss their work. Scanning the Book TV schedule recently, I spotted segments devoted to books by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade and Cary Clack, a Texas newspaper columnist who frequently criticizes GOP policies.

Thanks to Zoom, C-SPAN producers can easily get even more voices in the mix. About a dozen years ago, a Book TV interview with me was canceled after its roving production van broke down, unable to reach my corner of the state. These days, hosts and guests can conveniently talk through a laptop. The only challenge with my recent Book TV appearance was a morning thunderstorm that threatened to drown out my remarks.

The digital revolution has meant more tools for Book TV, but the rise of online technology has also complicated its business model. C-SPAN is a nonprofit funded through license fees paid by cable and satellite TV providers. As more viewers cut the cord in favor of streaming services, C-SPAN and related projects like Book TV are having to look elsewhere for money, including donations.

In a country rattled by sharp divisions, we need to strengthen and sustain places where people can exchange ideas without rancor. The sound of one person talking at a time shouldn’t be the exception.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.