Sam Feist

Sam Feist is an American media executive and journalist. He is the chief executive officer of C-SPAN and former chief of CNN's Washington, D.C. news bureau.

Early life and education Feist received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1991 and a juris doctor from Georgetown University in 1999. At Vanderbilt, Feist was a reporter and editor for The Vanderbilt Hustler. In 1990, he became a freelance producer in London. He received a full-time position in 1991 and moved to Atlanta. He moved to the network's Washington, D.C. news bureau in 1992. Feist was the network's political director and senior executive producer for political coverage from 2006 to 2008, and named vice president of Washington-based programming in 2009. In 2011, CNN named Feist senior vice president and chief of its Washington, D.C., news bureau, where he oversaw newsgathering and production. Feist produced election night coverage and shows including Crossfire, Capital Gang, Evans & Novak, and Inside Politics. In 2025, he created Ceasefire, a panel discussion series bringing together Republicans and Democrats for civil discourse. The program was inspired by his work on Crossfire.

Awards