EXTREME POLITICAL HISTORY - VIDEO PODCAST & JOKES
A C-SPAN podcast and video channel connecting current political events to moments from the C-SPAN archives, with a focus on history, trivia, and comedy.
This is a hybrid media project from C-SPAN's Howard Mortman. The main offering is a narrated weekly audio podcast that mines the network's vast video library for historical parallels to current events, often with a comedic or quirky angle. The YouTube channel, however, is dominated by short, un-narrated "bonus" clips of raw footage—like a presidential motorcade or a politician's arrival—presented without commentary, serving as a visual, real-time supplement to the historical deep dives.
“Its most distinctive feature is the mix of a traditional, narrated history podcast with a high volume of raw, silent, or ambient-sound video clips of political figures, offering a unique "fly-on-the-wall" perspective.”
Who hosts this show
Howard Mortman is the Communications Director for C-SPAN, a role he has held since 2009. A veteran of Washington D.C. media, he has also worked for MSNBC and National Journal's Hotline. He researches, scripts, and hosts the "Extreme Mortman" podcast, which uses C-SPAN's archives to connect today's news to historical events.
Credentials & credits
- Communications Director, C-SPAN
- Author, "When Rabbis Bless Congress"
- Graduate, University of Maryland
- Former staff, MSNBC
- Former staff, National Journal's Hotline
Other ventures
- C-SPAN's "The Weekly" podcast (previous branding)
- "Extreme Mortman" online column (at National Journal's Hotline)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01An Oral History of Senate TV: 40 Years of Memorable Moments on C-SPAN2
A representative example of the podcast's format, featuring a panel of top political journalists discussing historical clips from the C-SPAN archives.
- 02Trump visits East Potomac Golf Links - renovations there (6/28/2026) Extreme Mortman PODCAST BONUS
Demonstrates the channel's unique "bonus" content: raw, un-narrated footage of a current political figure, with context provided only by the title and a pool report in the description.
- 03Ferris Bueller Day Off 40th anniv. special -- politicians cite Ferris EXTREME MORTMAN PODCAST PROMO
Showcases the host's interest in the intersection of politics and pop culture, a recurring theme in the podcast.
What you'll be asked on this show
The show is primarily a solo-hosted narrative and clip-based format, not a traditional one-on-one interview show. When guests (typically journalists) do appear, it's often as part of a roundtable discussion to comment on historical C-SPAN clips selected by the host or audience. The format is more of a collaborative oral history than a probing interview.
The project has two formats: the primary, narrated audio podcast called "Extreme Mortman," and the YouTube channel's frequent "bonus" videos. These bonus clips are typically short, un-narrated, and feature raw footage of political events with descriptions often taken from press pool reports.
Signature segments
- · PODCAST BONUS (Raw Footage)
- · PODCAST TRIVIA
- · Use of C-SPAN archive clips
- · Oral History roundtables
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The podcast features interviews with journalists and political insiders, often to provide commentary on historical clips. The YouTube "bonus" videos feature political figures like Donald Trump and Gerald Ford, but as subjects of raw footage, not as interviewed guests.
- Carl Hulseon An Oral History of Senate TV: 40 Years of Memorable Moments on C-SPAN2, with Carl Hulse, Paul Kane, Chad Pergram – Part 2
- Paul Kaneon An Oral History of Senate TV: 40 Years of Memorable Moments on C-SPAN2, with Carl Hulse, Paul Kane, Chad Pergram – Part 2
- Chad Pergramon An Oral History of Senate TV: 40 Years of Memorable Moments on C-SPAN2, with Carl Hulse, Paul Kane, Chad Pergram – Part 2
- Donald Trumpon Trump visits East Potomac Golf Links - renovations there (6/28/2026) Extreme Mortman PODCAST BONUS
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is a production of C-SPAN, which is a non-profit public service created by the American cable television industry and does not feature traditional advertising.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What is the host's real name?
- The host is Howard Mortman.
- What is Howard Mortman's job?
- He is the Communications Director for the C-SPAN television network.
- Why are many of the videos silent or just have background noise?
- The YouTube channel features many short "bonus" clips that are raw, un-narrated footage of political events. This is a distinct format from the main, narrated audio podcast.
- Is this an official C-SPAN podcast?
- Yes, "Extreme Mortman" is a podcast for C-SPAN Radio, hosted by Mortman as part of his role at the network.
- Where can I find the full, narrated podcast episodes?
- The full audio podcast is available on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and some full episodes are also posted on the YouTube channel.
- What is the format of the show?
- It's primarily a narrated history podcast using clips from the C-SPAN archives. It sometimes features roundtable discussions with journalists but is not a guest interview show. The YouTube channel also has many raw video clips.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Extreme Mortman - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [02]Howard Mortman - Ragan Communicationsragan.com
- [03]Howard Mortman - Jewish Book Counciljewishbookcouncil.org
- [04]EXTREME POLITICAL HISTORY - VIDEO PODCAST & JOKES - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [05]Q&A Podcast: Howard Mortman, "Extreme Mortman" Podcast Hostyoutube.com
- [06]Extreme Mortman Podcast Official Pagechartable.com
- [07]Howard Mortman's Podcast on Politics, History, and the C-SPAN Archivesyoutube.com
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