C-SPAN, the political and public affairs network backed by the pay television industry, has restructured its executive leadership team with three new promotions and a key hire as the channel reorients its growth and sustainability strategies in the era of streaming.
Matthew Deprey has been elevated to the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at C-SPAN; he will continue to manage the network’s financial operations and maintains his role on C-SPAN’s Board of Directors, Finance Committee and Audit Committee. He joined C-SPAN in 2020 after working at Discovery Communications for more than 15 years. He most-recently served as the Chief Financial Officer of C-SPAN; the network added the title of Senior Vice President this week.
Peter Kiley, has been named Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue and Product Officer. He previously worked as Vice President of Affiliate Relations for the network; now, he will oversee a broad portfolio of products bearing the C-SPAN name, including its linear TV channels and digital platforms like the C-SPAN apps and social media. Kiley will also oversee C-SPAN’s marketing, education, communications, distribution and partnerships, as well as the C-SPAN video library and C-SPAN Radio.
Kiley has his work cut out for him: One of his primary tasks will be to ensure C-SPAN is well positioned for long-term financial stability and growth. The network — backed by major cable and satellite TV providers like Comcast, Charter’s Spectrum, Cox Cable, Dish Network and DirecTV — has long depended on affiliate fee revenue from its pay TV partners to sustain its operations, but that revenue has dipped substantially over the past decade as TV viewers ditched expensive cable and satellite plans for cheaper streaming services. (C-SPAN has pushed streaming cable alternatives like YouTube TV and Hulu to pick up its channels.)
Richard Weinstein has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Content Officer. In his new role, he will lead content strategy and acquisitions across C-SPAN’s television and digital platforms. Weinstein’s oversight includes guiding editorial innovation and shaping programming that reinforces C-SPAN’s civic value in the digital era.
“This realignment reflects the strength of our leadership team and our commitment to C-SPAN’s future,” C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist said in a statement this week. “With these changes, we are positioned to innovate boldly, grow our audience in new ways, build sustainable revenue, and ensure the long-term vitality of our mission to provide the public with trusted, nonpartisan content.”
In addition to the three promotions, C-SPAN has hired Heather Date to serve as its Vice President of Strategic Initiative and Chief of Staff. Date brings a diverse background in nonprofit leadership and journalism, most recently serving as the Vice President for Communications and Engagement at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Her earlier career includes editorial and production roles at CNN and George Washington University.
The leadership overhaul marks the first major restructuring under Feist, who joined C-SPAN last year after a lengthy career at CNN.
