# Susan Swain

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For the professor of pathology, see [Susan L. Swain](/source/Susan_L._Swain).

**Susan M. Swain**[1] (b. 1954) is an American [business executive](/source/Business_executive) and [journalist](/source/Journalist) who was the co-[chief executive officer](/source/Chief_executive_officer) of [C-SPAN](/source/C-SPAN) with Robert Kennedy from April 2012 to September 2024.

## Early years and education

Swain was born December 23, 1954,[2] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3]

Swain was part of the first class of women at the [University of Scranton](/source/University_of_Scranton) when it became [coeducational](/source/Coeducational) in 1972.[4][5] She received a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) in communications in 1976, [magna cum laude](/source/Magna_cum_laude).[3][5] She served as a university trustee for six years, and in 1999, the school awarded her an [honorary doctorate](/source/Honorary_doctorate).[5]

## Career

Swain began working for [C-SPAN](/source/C-SPAN) in 1982 as an associate [news producer](/source/News_producer).[4] She was named co-president and [chief operating officer](/source/Chief_operating_officer) in 2006 and co-[chief executive officer](/source/Chief_executive_officer) in 2012 with Robert Kennedy.[6][7] Kennedy oversaw finances and technology; Swain oversaw [broadcast programming](/source/Broadcast_programming) and marketing.[3]

Swain helped create *American History TV* and *[First Ladies: Influence & Image](/source/First_Ladies:_Influence_%26_Image)*.[4] She made more than 5,300 appearances on C-SPAN during her time with the organization.[8] In 2024, Swain and Kennedy were succeeded as C-SPAN CEO by Sam Feist, head of [CNN](/source/CNN)'s Washington D.C. [news bureau](/source/News_bureau).[9]

Swain was inducted into the [Broadcasting & Cable](/source/Broadcasting_%26_Cable) Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Cable Hall of Fame in 2019.[10] She is a former member of the [board of directors](/source/Board_of_directors) for [Talbots](/source/Talbots) and [Discovery Communications](/source/Discovery_Communications),[11][12] and is an [emerita](/source/Emeritus) board member of the [National Press Foundation](/source/National_Press_Foundation).[5]

## Bibliography

- Lamb, Brian & Swain, Susan (2008). *Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President*. New York: [PublicAffairs](/source/PublicAffairs). ISBN 978-1586486761.
- *The Supreme Court: A C-SPAN book Featuring the Justices in Their Own Words*. New York: [PublicAffairs](/source/PublicAffairs). 2011. ISBN 978-1586488352.
- Swain, Susan (2015). *First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women*. New York: [PublicAffairs](/source/PublicAffairs). ISBN 1610395662.
- Lamb, Brian; Brinkley, Douglas; Medford, Edna Greene; Smith, Richard Norton; Swain, Susan (2019). *The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America's Best—and Worst—Chief Executives*. New York: [PublicAffairs](/source/PublicAffairs). ISBN 978-1541774339.

## References

1. ["Susan M. Swain"](https://www.whitehousehistory.org/presidential-sites-summit/presidential-sites-summit-speakers/susan-m-swain). [White House Historical Association](/source/White_House_Historical_Association). 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2025.

1. ["Discovery, Inc., Schedule 14A Information"](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1437107/000119312519083609/d722388ddef14a.htm). [Securities and Exchange Commission](/source/Securities_and_Exchange_Commission). March 26, 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2025.

1. Van Zandt, Emily (December 7, 2016). ["A foot in both camps: How Susan Swain is guiding C-SPAN through a changing industry"](https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2016/12/07/a-foot-in-both-camps-how-susan-swain-is-guiding-c.html). *Washington Business Journal*. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. ["Taking Viewers to 'Church': Susan Swain '76, H'99"](https://journal.scranton.edu/issues/2017/fall/taking-viewers-to-church-swain.shtml). *Scranton Journal*. Fall 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. ["Susan Swain"](https://nationalpress.org/judge/susan-swain/). *[National Press Foundation](/source/National_Press_Foundation)*. Retrieved 29 January 2025.

1. Stelter, Brian (March 18, 2012). ["C-Span Founder to Step Down as Chief Executive"](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/business/media/c-span-founder-brian-lamb-to-step-down-as-ceo.html). *The New York Times*. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. Cunningham, Todd (March 18, 2012). ["Brian Lamb, C-SPAN Founder, Steps Down After 34 Years"](https://www.thewrap.com/brian-lamb-c-span-founder-steps-down-after-34-years-36346/). *TheWrap*. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. ["Susan Swain"](https://www.c-span.org/person/susan-swain/6455/). *C-SPAN*. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. Barr, Jeremy (May 14, 2024). ["Sam Feist, longtime CNN executive, will become CEO of C-SPAN"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/05/14/sam-feist-cspan-ceo-cnn/). *The Washington Post*. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. Goldsmith, Jill (March 5, 2024). ["C-SPAN Co-CEOs To Step Down This Year"](https://deadline.com/2024/03/c-span-co-ceos-step-down-this-year-1235846433/). *Deadline Hollywood*. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. Lieberman, David (October 21, 2016). ["Discovery Adds C-SPAN's Susan Swain To Board, Diversifying All-Male Group"](https://deadline.com/2016/10/discovery-adds-cspan-susan-swain-board-end-all-male-status-1201840350/). *Deadline Hollywood*. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

1. Hayes, Dade (July 6, 2024). ["Discovery Shareholders Win $125M Settlement Of Lawsuit Alleging AT&T Merger “Wasn't Entirely Fair” To Most Investors"](https://deadline.com/2024/07/warner-bros-discovery-shareholder-lawsuit-settlement-merger-1236002549/). *Deadline Hollywood*. Retrieved January 21, 2025.

## External links

- [Susan Swain's oral history for The Cable Center's Hauser Oral History Collection, December 13, 2017](https://www.cablecenter.org/programs/the-hauser-oral-history-project/s-listings/susan-swain-2017.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Swain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Swain) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Swain?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.