Brian P. Lamb

Brian Lamb
Lamb in January 2012
Born	Brian Patrick Lamb (1941-10-09) October 9, 1941 (age 76) Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
Alma mater	Purdue University
Occupation	Executive chairman of C-SPAN's board of directors
Known for	Founder and former CEO of C-SPAN
Spouse(s)	Victoria Lamb (née Martin) (2005–present)

Brian Patrick Lamb (/læm/; born October 9, 1941) is an American journalist and the founder, executive chairman, and now retired CEO of C-SPAN; an American cable network which provides coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate as well as other public affairs events. Prior to launching C-SPAN in 1979, Lamb held various communications roles including White House telecommunications policy staffer and Washington bureau chief for Cablevision magazine. He also served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy for four years. Lamb has conducted thousands of interviews in his lifetime, including those on C-SPAN's Booknotes and Q&A, and is known for his unique interview style, focusing on short, direct questions. Over the course of his career Lamb has received numerous honors and awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Humanities Medal.

Lamb was born in Lafayette, Indiana and lived there until he was twenty-two. Growing up, he wanted to be an entertainer and spent time as a disc jockey and as a drummer in many local bands. Lamb showed an early interest in television and radio: he started his first radio job at a local station in Lafayette, WASK (AM), at the age of 17, working as a disc jockey and selling advertisements. His job at the radio station gave him the opportunity to interview musicians including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Count Basie, and The Kingston Trio, while he was still in high school. In 1961, during his junior year at college, he coordinated a television program titled Dance Date, similar to Dick Clark's ABC series, American Bandstand.