Published: June 18, 2009 11:35 pm      

Residents get behind-the-scenes look at C-SPAN

Several local residents braved a severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings Thursday to get a behind-the-scenes look at television broadcasting.

The C-SPAN Civics Bus, which made two stops in Richmond, one at the Madison County Public Library and one at Time Warner, gives visitors a chance to see the mobile television station operates and how interviews are conducted on the road.

Despite the weather, there was a decent turnout, said C-SPAN Marketing Representative Vanessa Bailey.

“I didn’t really expect anybody (to show up),” she said.

Tommy Young and his daughter Haley Dyer of Richmond came in out of the rain to see how things worked.

“It was really cool,” Young said. Dyer was able to see herself on the screen and learned how to operate controls in the director’s area.

The bus has been traveling the country for 16 years as a way to get out of Washington, D.C., and see what other people are up to, Bailey said.

“We realize national politics involves everyone in the country,” she said.

Bree McGaffey, an AmeriCorps volunteer working at the library, said living in “such a small, little town,” she had been looking forward to the bus since she hung posters up to advertise it.

“On TV it just looks so easy,” she said.

It was a new experience for local author Thomas Parrish who was interviewed during the stop in Richmond for his book, “To Keep the British Aisles Afloat”

“It’s interesting. It’s the only interview I’ve ever had not in a studio. It’s a good way to do it,” he said.

C-SPAN tries to use the bus as much as possible, Bailey said. The bus is on the road for one to two weeks a month.

During the most recent presidential election, Bailey said, “we were chasing it for two years,” going to debates and conventions among other things.

There is “lots and lots of driving,” she said. “You really have to be OK with long drives.”

When traveling, Bailey and another marketing representative, Rodee Schneider, drive a separate vehicle.

After its two days of stops in Kentucky, the bus will head to Columbus, Ohio, for routine maintenance.

For more information about the C-SPAN, visit www.c-span.org.

Brittany Davenport can be reached at 624-6624 or news@richmondregister.com.