<\/p>\n Dasha Burns poses for photographers as she arrives at the annual White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana,File)<\/p>\n Dasha Burns poses for photographers as she arrives at the annual White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana,File)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, Americans and members of Congress agree more than they disagree,\u201d said Feist, C-SPAN CEO. \u201cWe just never see that on television, and you rarely see that on the floor of Congress. And I wanted to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCrossfire\u201d aired on CNN from 1982 until 2005. It featured a conservative and liberal host, with guests, debating a contentious issue. It often got loud \u2014 and sometimes personal. Conflict sells, and as cable television evolved into more often talking about the news than reporting it, the formula was widely imitated.<\/p>\n It arguably influenced politics as well. Being argumentative and taking no prisoners were more effective ways of getting attention than trying to find common ground and get things done.<\/p>\n That was the view of comic Jon Stewart, who effectively killed \u201cCrossfire\u201d with a 2004 appearance where he told then-hosts Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson that they were hurting America. Begala later called it a \u201cdisemboweling.\u201d<\/a> Three months later, CNN canceled the show.<\/p>\n Losing the \u2018sugar high\u2019 of partisan conflict<\/p>\n From traveling the country reporting, Burns said she also feels there is a disconnect between how people think of politics and how it is portrayed on television \u2014 a dissonance, she suggests, that \u201cCeaseFire\u201d can tap.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there is a secret yearning for this among a lot of people,\u201d said Burns, Politico Playbook author and chief White House correspondent, who will hold onto those roles. \u201cObviously there is a reason why shows that have a lot of conflict get a lot of views, but I also think there is a part of the country that is really tired of the sugar high from conflict and polarization.\u201d<\/p>\n Burns said she works hard to cultivate a nonpartisan approach in her job so she can report equally well on what is happening with Democrats and Republicans in Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cMy moderating style does tend to be very personal and conversational, and I want to bring some fun and charm and levity to the show,\u201d she said, \u201cbut also really push people and get people out of their comfort zones of partisan acrimony and into a zone that may be less comfortable for them in the public eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Feist said Burns was chosen for the job because she\u2019s both a good interviewer and a good conversationalist, as well as being plugged into the Washington scene.<\/p>\n He said he got the idea for \u201cCeaseFire\u201d years ago from Michael Kinsley, a former \u201cCrossfire\u201d co-host, and is hoping it can become a signature show. A time slot, premiere date or early guests have not been announced yet.<\/p>\n Friends from across the aisle<\/p>\n Since getting the job at C-SPAN, Feist said he has talked to more than 100 members of Congress about whether they had friends across the aisle and, to a person, each one gave him a name of a political opposite they enjoyed spending time with.<\/p>\n If only half of those pairings agreed to come on \u201cCeaseFire,\u201d he said, he\u2019d have enough programming for a year.<\/p>\n C-SPAN takes pride in appealing in equal numbers to Democrats, Republicans and independents. They are people who want to watch politics and government in action, and not just people talking about it, he said. Still, there\u2019s a need to show something during the nights and weekend when Congress is not in session.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I got here we started talking about new programming and what we could do that was different, where there was a need in the television landscape,\u201d Feist said. \u201cOver and over, I heard from people on the inside and the outside: \u2018Can\u2019t you even have a civil conversation in Washington?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n And that, he said, is precisely what \u201cCeaseFire\u201d will try to do.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http:\/\/x.com\/dbauder<\/a> and https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/dbauder.bsky.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n