With the conviction that an educated and enlightened public is the base of modern democracy, Benton makes an early investment in the just-launched C-SPAN and publishes Gavel to Gavel, A Guide to the Televised Proceedings of Congress. It is the first viewer's guide for the network, which televises live, gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and, later, the U.S. Senate. It covers other forums where public policy is discussed, debated, and decided--all without editing, commentary, or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view.
Carolyn Sachs becomes Executive Director of Benton Foundation (serves until 1989).