Steve Scully
Encyclopedia
Steven L. Scully is the senior executive producer, political editor, and host of C-SPAN
's Washington Journal
, a three-hour early morning cable television
public affairs program.
, Pennsylvania
, to Hubert L. "Hoot" Scully (July 15, 1915–May 9, 1994) and the former Elizabeth Jane "Betty" North (August 2, 1920–August 5, 2010), both active Roman Catholics. Scully has eleven living siblings; four others were deceased as of 2011. His parents had five sets of twins. Steve Scully, however, is not a twin. He is a graduate of Strong Vincent High School. In 1983, the Erie Times-News
named Betty Scully "Outstanding Woman of the Year". Hubert and Betty Scully are interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Erie.
Scully earned his undergraduate degree, graduating with honors in communications and political science
from American University
in Washington and his Master of Science
from Northwestern University
, summa cum laude, in Evanston
, Illinois
, where he also studied abroad at the University of Copenhagen
in Denmark
. He received a number of honors from Northwestern University, including the prestigious Harrington Award for excellence in graduate studies at the Medill School of Journalism.
the CBS
station in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Scully was also a reporter and anchor WHEC-TV
, the NBC
affiliate in Rochester
, New York State. In January 2003, he assumed the Amos P. Hostetter Chair at the University of Denver
, where he taught a distance learning course on media, politics, and public policy issues by means of cable television connection between Washington, D.C.
, and Denver
, Colorado
. The course ended after eight years in the spring semester of 2011. Textbooks for the course in the last semester included Decision Points by former U.S. President George W. Bush
, Hardball: How Politics Is Played – Told by One Who Knows the Game by television broadcast journalist Chris Matthews
, a former aide to Speaker
of the United States House of Representative Tip O'Neill
, and The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America & How to Get It Back on Track by political scientists Norm Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann
. In the Fall 2011, C-SPAN and The Washington Center will launch a distance learning project, in connection with Purdue University and George Mason University.
Previously, Scully taught at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford
, New York, and Nazareth College
in Rochester, New York. He also serves on the board of directors of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, which is affiliated with Saint Anselm College
in Goffstown
, New Hampshire
. The institute is particularly visible during the quadrennial New Hampshire presidential primary
.
In 2004 Scully defeated CBS' John Roberts and was elected to the executive board of the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), serving as president in 2006-07. The WHCA deals directly with the White House on everything from administration access and accountability, to presidential travel. The WHCA also sponsors several high-profile events in Washington for journalists and the politicians whom they cover, including a spring scholarship dinner. Scully also oversaw the complete re-build of the Brady Briefing Room in the White House under his tenure. President Nixon first turned a former indoor West Wing pool into a briefing room and under Scully's work, GAO and government contractors gutted and re-built the briefing room into a state-of-the-art facility. It is used today by the president, press secretary and other administration officials. Until her death, Betty Scully accompanied her son to most of the WHCA dinners throughout the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton
, George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama. Scully remains an officer in the association.
Scully describes his C-SPAN experience as one of "more flexibility in influencing the process than just being one of many at a network where they try to digest twenty-two minutes of the evening news. Here we have the ability to go many hours to cover an event, interview newsmakers, follow the political process, or show individuals on the campaign trail. I enjoy the freedom that it gives me and the editorial satisfaction of being able to do it with much more of a free hand. . . . You go to work each day and you're able to produce results and see those results on the air almost every day." C-SPAN's political coverage has received numerous awards, including the Cable Ace & an Emmy for its campaign-related programming.
Scully describes C-SPAN as "one of the truest forms of journalism. . . . We don't take advertising dollars. We are not influenced in any way by ratings. We get all of our money from the cable industry, which is about 6.5 cents per month per cable subscriber. We're able to meet every afternoon without any pressure that you have to cover this event because you're going to get more people to watch. No one from our company -- from Brian Lamb
on down -- has ever said, 'You must cover this event.' The editorial group . . . meets every day at 3:15, Monday through Friday, and then rotates with different members so that you have a variety of points of view every week . . . We're able to make strong decisions on what has editorial merit, not what's going to draw more attention. . . . "
, Virginia. They have three natural children, Danny, Mary Cate, and Christen. Two others died in childhood, Carolyn in 1994 of sudden infant death syndrome
and Jack, stillborn in 1996. In 2009, they also adopted through the Utah
-based Act of Love agency, a girl, Natalie Cathleen Scully, who had been born to a single mother in Nevada
.CBS Radio
chairman Joel Hollander, who also lost a child to SIDS the same year as the Scullys, said that Scully "helped so many people, but in a very quiet way. He never wants any credit for anything. I think it is fantastic that he has adopted another baby." Scully is on the board of directors for the CJ Foundation for SIDS, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and the White House Correspondents' Association.
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
's Washington Journal
Washington Journal
Washington Journal is an American television series on the C-SPAN network in the format of a political call-in and interview program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, answering questions from the hosts and from members of the general...
, a three-hour early morning cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
public affairs program.
Background
Scully was born in ErieErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, to Hubert L. "Hoot" Scully (July 15, 1915–May 9, 1994) and the former Elizabeth Jane "Betty" North (August 2, 1920–August 5, 2010), both active Roman Catholics. Scully has eleven living siblings; four others were deceased as of 2011. His parents had five sets of twins. Steve Scully, however, is not a twin. He is a graduate of Strong Vincent High School. In 1983, the Erie Times-News
Erie Times-News
The Erie Times-News is a daily morning newspaper in Erie, Pennsylvania. It has a daily circulation of about 56,124 and a Sunday circulation of about 75,680...
named Betty Scully "Outstanding Woman of the Year". Hubert and Betty Scully are interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Erie.
Scully earned his undergraduate degree, graduating with honors in communications and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington and his Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, summa cum laude, in Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, where he also studied abroad at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He received a number of honors from Northwestern University, including the prestigious Harrington Award for excellence in graduate studies at the Medill School of Journalism.
C-SPAN host
Since 1990, Scully has planned and edited C-SPAN's campaign programming, including presidential and congressional elections. He also serves as a regular host/ moderate on a number of C-SPAN programs, including "Newsmakers," "Washington Journal," "In Depth" on BookTV and "Road to the White House." He can also be heard weeknights on C-SPAN Radio (90.1 FM in Washington DC and XM-Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 119.) "Washington Today" is a new two hour drive-time radio progam on C-SPAN Radio, heard 5pm - 7pm ET and 9pm - 11pm ET. Prior to joining C-SPAN, he covered politics and local government as a Washington, D.C.-based reporter for WHBF-TV in Rock Island, Illinois. He also served as an anchor and reporter at Channel 35 WSEE-TVWSEE-TV
WSEE-TV, channel 35, is an CBS-affiliated television station located in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. WSEE-TV is owned by Lilly Broadcasting, and is operated by NBC affiliate WICU-TV through a local marketing agreement. The two stations both share studios on State Street in downtown Erie, and a...
the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
station in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Scully was also a reporter and anchor WHEC-TV
WHEC-TV
WHEC-TV, channel 10, is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Rochester, New York, USA. WHEC-TV is owned by Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Hubbard Broadcasting, and broadcasts from a studio/office facility on East Avenue in Downtown Rochester...
, the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate in Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, New York State. In January 2003, he assumed the Amos P. Hostetter Chair at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
, where he taught a distance learning course on media, politics, and public policy issues by means of cable television connection between Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The course ended after eight years in the spring semester of 2011. Textbooks for the course in the last semester included Decision Points by former U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Hardball: How Politics Is Played – Told by One Who Knows the Game by television broadcast journalist Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
, a former aide to Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the United States House of Representative Tip O'Neill
Tip O'Neill
Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. was an American politician. O'Neill was an outspoken liberal Democrat and influential member of the U.S. Congress, serving in the House of Representatives for 34 years and representing two congressional districts in Massachusetts...
, and The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America & How to Get It Back on Track by political scientists Norm Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann
Thomas E. Mann
Thomas E. Mann is a political scientist, author, and pundit who works at the Brookings Institution. He primarily studies and speaks on elections in the United States, especially campaign finance reform...
. In the Fall 2011, C-SPAN and The Washington Center will launch a distance learning project, in connection with Purdue University and George Mason University.
Previously, Scully taught at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford
Pittsford, New York
Pittsford may refer to two municipalities in the suburban area of Rochester, New York in the United States:*Pittsford , New York*Pittsford , New York, located entirely within the town...
, New York, and Nazareth College
Nazareth College (New York)
Nazareth College of Rochester, NY, is a private liberal arts college in Pittsford, New York, a suburb of Rochester.-History:Nazareth was founded in 1924 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The first class, comprising 25 young women, began their studies in a large mansion on Lake Avenue in Rochester, New...
in Rochester, New York. He also serves on the board of directors of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, which is affiliated with Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College is a nationally ranked, private, Benedictine, Catholic liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889 by Abbot Hilary Pfrängle, O.S.B. of Saint Mary's Abbey in Newark, New Jersey, at the request of Bishop Denis M. Bradley of Manchester, New Hampshire, the...
in Goffstown
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 17,651 at the 2010 census. The compact center of town, where 3,196 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffstown census-designated place and is located at the...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The institute is particularly visible during the quadrennial New Hampshire presidential primary
New Hampshire primary
The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...
.
In 2004 Scully defeated CBS' John Roberts and was elected to the executive board of the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), serving as president in 2006-07. The WHCA deals directly with the White House on everything from administration access and accountability, to presidential travel. The WHCA also sponsors several high-profile events in Washington for journalists and the politicians whom they cover, including a spring scholarship dinner. Scully also oversaw the complete re-build of the Brady Briefing Room in the White House under his tenure. President Nixon first turned a former indoor West Wing pool into a briefing room and under Scully's work, GAO and government contractors gutted and re-built the briefing room into a state-of-the-art facility. It is used today by the president, press secretary and other administration officials. Until her death, Betty Scully accompanied her son to most of the WHCA dinners throughout the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama. Scully remains an officer in the association.
Scully describes his C-SPAN experience as one of "more flexibility in influencing the process than just being one of many at a network where they try to digest twenty-two minutes of the evening news. Here we have the ability to go many hours to cover an event, interview newsmakers, follow the political process, or show individuals on the campaign trail. I enjoy the freedom that it gives me and the editorial satisfaction of being able to do it with much more of a free hand. . . . You go to work each day and you're able to produce results and see those results on the air almost every day." C-SPAN's political coverage has received numerous awards, including the Cable Ace & an Emmy for its campaign-related programming.
Scully describes C-SPAN as "one of the truest forms of journalism. . . . We don't take advertising dollars. We are not influenced in any way by ratings. We get all of our money from the cable industry, which is about 6.5 cents per month per cable subscriber. We're able to meet every afternoon without any pressure that you have to cover this event because you're going to get more people to watch. No one from our company -- from Brian Lamb
Brian Lamb
Brian Patrick Lamb is the founder and chief executive officer of C-SPAN, a television network dedicated to coverage of government proceedings and public affairs. Born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, Lamb earned a degree from Purdue University before joining the United States Navy...
on down -- has ever said, 'You must cover this event.' The editorial group . . . meets every day at 3:15, Monday through Friday, and then rotates with different members so that you have a variety of points of view every week . . . We're able to make strong decisions on what has editorial merit, not what's going to draw more attention. . . . "
Personal life
Scully and his wife, Kathryn R. "Katie" Scully, who is also descended from a large family, are both Catholics and reside in Fairfax StationFairfax Station, Virginia
Fairfax Station is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, ZIP code 22039. The population as of the 2010 Census was 12,030. As a suburb of Washington, DC, it is a bedroom community for many who work in the federal government.-Averages:...
, Virginia. They have three natural children, Danny, Mary Cate, and Christen. Two others died in childhood, Carolyn in 1994 of sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...
and Jack, stillborn in 1996. In 2009, they also adopted through the Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
-based Act of Love agency, a girl, Natalie Cathleen Scully, who had been born to a single mother in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
chairman Joel Hollander, who also lost a child to SIDS the same year as the Scullys, said that Scully "helped so many people, but in a very quiet way. He never wants any credit for anything. I think it is fantastic that he has adopted another baby." Scully is on the board of directors for the CJ Foundation for SIDS, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and the White House Correspondents' Association.