By: Saba Hamedy
CULVER CITY, Calif. — The Young Turks feel the Bern.
For months, the progressive online news program, which has amassed 2.4 million subscribers since it started live streaming on YouTube in 2005, has been trying to get the Democratic presidential candidate to appear on their show.
But it wasn’t until late Tuesday night that the Young Turks found out it was actually happening — thanks to help from a fan petition and a lucky opening in Sanders’ schedule during his Los Angeles visit.
On Wednesday, the Vermont senator trekked to Culver City to sit down with Young Turks host Cenk Uygur for a 30-minute interview.
It was a huge moment for the channel, as Sanders became one of the show’s most high profile visitors.
“It felt great,” Uygur told Mashable following the interview. “I think that we do something very similar to what he does but in the media realm, he’s leading a political revolution we’re leading a media revolution. It was definitely time for these two revolutions to meet and that was this moment.”
The host had interviewed Sanders before (notably on MSNBC in 2011), and even told Sanders that he should run for president.
At its peak, the live stream attracted over 70,000 viewers — more than four times the program’s average live streaming number of 15,000. The Young Turks stream also marked the first time the presidential candidate has participated in a live interview broadcast exclusively online (though he did anAMA on Reddit last year).
Earlier this year, fellow Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was interviewed by YouTube stars GloZell Green, Chriselle Lim and Maya Washington. President Obama has also been interviewed by YouTubers at the White House on two occasions.
Like The Young Turks, Sanders has many millennial followers. A recent USA Today / Rock the Vote survey found that millennial voters like him more than Clinton. The demographic’s support has helped keep him in the race.
It’s clear that fans of the Young Turks are also Sanders supporters, as many lobbied for the appearance on social media.
On Monday, one fan even made a Change.org petition. By Wednesday, it had over 17,000 signatures.
Sanders’ arrival at the office — filled with young employees — was greeted by applause, as enthusiastic Sanders supporters snapped photos and videos of the candidate.
“Holy s—-t,” one employee said as Sanders entered the room, with Secret Service following close behind him.
The warehouse style space was also filled with pro-Sanders “Feel the Bern” swag, scattered across tables in the area.
“There’s been a number of efforts to get him in here for some time,” Steve Oh, the network’s COO, told Mashable. “We are big supporters of his message. Our audience is the same audience that love Sen. Sanders and what he stands for. The millennial vote counts more and more and millennials don’t watch cable news, they watch their news online. The candidates have to reach out to people like us. This is the future [of media].”
There’s currently also a petition from Young Turks fans asking for Clinton to appear on the show too. It has more than 17,000 signatures to date.
As viewers tuned in from their homes, staff members watched on the big screen in the main area of the office space. TYT and Cenk also utilizedFacebook Live to give fans a real time look at Sanders, including footage of him coming in to the studio and of him chatting during the actual show.
“We’ve had great guests,” Uygur said, citing filmmaker Quentin Tarantino andformer President Jimmy Carter as examples. “But a presidential candidate of this magnitude is a big deal.”
Original article can be found here: http://mashable.com/2016/03/23/bernie-sanders-young-turks/#1QYxfg6hpZqw