Sam Feist

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Sam Feist
Feist in 2025
Alma mater
OccupationMedia executive
EmployerC-SPAN

Sam Feist is an American media executive and journalist. He is the chief executive officer of C-SPAN and former chief of CNN's Washington, D.C. news bureau.

Early life and education

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Feist received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1991 and a juris doctorate from Georgetown University in 1999.[1][2][3] At Vanderbilt, Feist was a reporter and editor for The Vanderbilt Hustler.[3]

Career

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Feist began working for CNN in 1989 as an intern.[4] In 1990, he became a freelance producer in London. He received a full-time position in 1991 and moved to Atlanta.[1] He moved to the network's Washington, D.C. news bureau in 1992.[5][1] He was the founding executive producer of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, which premiered in August 2005.[5][6] Feist was the network's political director and senior executive producer for political coverage from 2006 to 2008, and named vice president of Washington-based programming in 2009.[7][8] In 2011, CNN named Feist senior vice president and chief of its Washington, D.C., news bureau, where he oversaw newsgathering and production.[5] Feist produced election night coverage and shows including Crossfire, Capital Gang, Evans & Novak, and Inside Politics.[9][8] During election broadcasts, he was responsible for projecting the winners.[9]

Feist was named chief executive officer of C-SPAN in May 2024, succeeding co-CEOs Susan Swain and Robert Kennedy.[10][5] In 2025, he created Ceasefire, a panel discussion series bringing together Republicans and Democrats for civil discourse. The program was inspired by his work on Crossfire.[11][12][13]

Awards

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Awards
Year Recognized work Role Award/Honor Awarding organization Ref.
2007 Election Night Executive producer News and Documentary Emmy Award Academy of Television Arts and Sciences [14]
2008 Coverage of 2008 Presidential Primary Campaigns and Debates Executive producer George Foster Peabody Award National Association of Broadcasters [15]
2012 Revolution in Egypt: President Mubarak Steps Down Vice President of Washington Programming News and Documentary Emmy Award Academy of Television Arts and Sciences [16]
2013 Election Night in America Executive Producer News and Documentary Emmy Award Academy of Television Arts and Sciences [17]
2023 Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later Executive producer News and Documentary Emmy Award Academy of Television Arts and Sciences [18]
2024 A CNN Town Hall: Toxic Train Disaster, Ohio Residents Speak Out Executive producer News and Documentary Emmy Award Academy of Television Arts and Sciences [19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Sam Feist". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  2. ^ "Sam Feist (L'99)". Georgetown University. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Spencer, George (October 22, 2020). "Washington Insiders: Vanderbilt alumni in CNN's Washington Bureau are playing key roles in the network's around-the-clock political coverage". MyVU News. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  4. ^ Barr, Jeremy (May 14, 2024). "Sam Feist, longtime CNN executive, will become CEO of C-SPAN". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Johnson, Ted (May 14, 2024). "CNN's Sam Feist Named New CEO Of C-SPAN". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  6. ^ Allen, Mike (August 8, 2020). "Wolf Blitzer marks 15 years in "The Situation Room"". Axios. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  7. ^ "CNN names Sam Feist DC bureau chief" (Press release). CNN. May 17, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "CNN ups Sam Feist". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. January 8, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Calderone, Michael (May 17, 2011). "CNN Names Sam Feist New Washington Bureau Chief". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  10. ^ Korach, Natalie (May 14, 2024). "Sam Feist Named C-SPAN CEO, Will Depart CNN After 34 Years". The Wrap. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  11. ^ Ted, Johnson (October 10, 2025). "C-SPAN's 'Ceasefire' Tries To Show Cooler Heads Can Prevail At A Time Of Hyper-Polarization". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  12. ^ Bauder, David (July 30, 2025). "From 'Crossfire' to 'CeaseFire': C-SPAN executive launches program that promotes common ground". Associated Press. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  13. ^ Steinberg, Brian (October 6, 2025). "C-SPAN Chief Jumps to 'Ceasefire' After 'Crossfire' in Bid to Create News Programs That Unify, Not Divide". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  14. ^ "28th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards Announces Winners at New York City Gala" (PDF) (Press release). Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. September 24, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  15. ^ "Coverage of 2008 Presidential Primary Campaigns and Debates". Peabody Awards. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  16. ^ "National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Announces Winners at the 33rd Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards" (Press release). Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. October 1, 2012. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  17. ^ "Winners Announced for the 34th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards" (Press release). Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. October 1, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  18. ^ "Winners for the News Categories of the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  19. ^ "Winners for the News Categories of the 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2025.