Sam Feist to head C-SPAN

Sam Feist, CNN’s longtime Washington Bureau Chief, will take over as the head of C-SPAN this summer, the company announced this week.

Feist takes over for co-CEOs Rob Kennedy and Susan Swain, who announced they would step down earlier this year.

“Our democracy needs C-SPAN now more than ever,” Feist said in a statement. “I look forward to working with C-SPAN’s extraordinary and dedicated team to expand the network’s reach and meet new audiences where they are.”

CNN chairman Mike Thompson thanked Feist for his contributions to the network in a note to staff on Tuesday that was obtained by The Hill.

“In my short time at CNN, I have come to know and appreciate Sam’s passion for CNN, for our people, and for political journalism, and will miss his good counsel,” Thompson wrote.

Feist has been employed at CNN since the late 1980s, working first as an intern, and is the longest serving Washington Bureau Chief in the network’s history.