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Sarah Roth
Hoboken, New Jersey

My story is about the flu and C-SPAN, the latter of which I credit in part to curing my sickness as well as my political apathy.

In February 1999, I was bed-ridden for three weeks, suffering from the flu. I had never been a big TV watcher (and often teased my boyfriend about the number of channels he had).

One morning I turned to C-SPAN as a governor's convention was airing. And that was it, I was hooked. I listened to every speech during my waking hours and learned more about the issues Idaho was facing than any Bostonian would ever care to know. That was it - I decided at that moment to do something politically motivated, other than vote.

The timing couldn't have been better - a presidential election was looming, and one of the democratic candidates was someone whose books I had read and who served in the senate of the state of my childhood. Bill Bradley was my guy.

I joined a newly formed committee for the Bradley campaign in Boston, and before I knew it, I was co-chair of the committee, leading rallies and parades, and calling and knocking on doors in New Hampshire before the primary.

Even though Bradley didn't come close to winning, I met wonderful people volunteering for the Bradley campaign, and learned a lot about how grass roots efforts are organized and run effectively. And now, even though I get my flu shot every year, I still watch C-SPAN regularly.


ONLINE PRESS KIT >>

Contest Winners
Read the essays of the 25 contest winners.

Press Releases
Sep. 28, 2005 -- Winners Named in C-SPAN Viewer Essay Contest Marking 25 Years of Viewer Calls

Sep. 14, 2005 -- C-SPAN Marks 25 Years Of Viewer Calls-Ins With LIVE, 25-Hour Call-In Program On Oct. 7

Aug. 17, 2005 -- C-SPAN Marks 25 Years Of Viewer Calls-Ins With LIVE, 25-Hour Call-In Program On Oct. 7

News Articles
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) - Oct. 10, 2005
Talkers Magazine - Cover Story Oct. 2005
Jewish World Review - Columnist David Brooks, Nov. 1999

History of Call-Ins on Radio and Television
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Evolution of Call-Ins on C-SPAN
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More about C-SPAN's 25 Years of Viewer Call-Ins
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