The
Museum of Broadcast Communications (or
MBC) is located in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform, and entertain through our archives, public programs, screenings, exhibits, publications and online access to our resources."
The museum opened in Chicago's South Loop in 1987, and from 1992 to 2003 was located in the
Chicago Cultural CenterThe Chicago Cultural Center is a Chicago Landmark building that houses the city's official reception venue where the Mayor has welcomed Presidents and royalty, diplomats and community leaders. The building is a testament to the foresight of Chicago's turn of the century cultural leadership...
.
The
Museum of Broadcast Communications (or
MBC) is located in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform, and entertain through our archives, public programs, screenings, exhibits, publications and online access to our resources."
The museum opened in Chicago's South Loop in 1987, and from 1992 to 2003 was located in the
Chicago Cultural CenterThe Chicago Cultural Center is a Chicago Landmark building that houses the city's official reception venue where the Mayor has welcomed Presidents and royalty, diplomats and community leaders. The building is a testament to the foresight of Chicago's turn of the century cultural leadership...
. The museum is slated to reopen in a new 70,000 square foot (7,000 m²) facility on State and Kinzie Streets, adjacent to
Harry Caray's RestaurantHarry Caray Harry Caray Harry Caray (born Harry Christopher Carabina, (March 1, 1914 – February 18, 1998) was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
and the
House of BluesHouse of Blues is a chain of music halls and restaurants founded in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock, and Dan Aykroyd. House of Blues is a venue for live music and southern-inspired cuisine that emphasizes "inspiration of music for the soul".-Overview:The first HOB opened its doors...
Hotel, just north of the
Chicago LoopThe Loop or The Chicago Loop are the terms used to designate the historical center of downtown Chicago. Most accurately, the term refers to an area bounded by a public transit circuit along Lake Street on the north, Wabash Avenue on the east, Van Buren Street on the south, and Wells Street on the...
. The new museum building has undergone several delays in its development due to a fiscal stalemate with the State of Illinois. It was originally scheduled to open in Spring 2005 and later in 2009, but its half-completed building was recently slated to be sold due to lack of funds, which CEO Bruce Dumont blames on lack of state funds.
According to the museum's web site, in 2003, the Museum was Chicago's fourteenth most visited cultural destination with over 200,000 visitors, although no reference is provided to substantiate these numbers.
The museum honored NBC 5 Chicago's
Warner SaundersWarner Saunders was the 10 PM co-anchor for WMAQ-TV in Chicago. Saunders' primary co-anchor in the NBC 5 evening newscasts was Allison Rosati. A Chicago native, Saunders holds a bachelors degree from Xavier University and a Masters degree from Northeastern Illinois University...
on May 16, 2009 at a fundraiser called "A Salute to Warner Saunders."
Encyclopedia of Television
The MBC maintains an on-line resource called "The Encyclopedia of Television"
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/index.html. This includes original essays relating to historic moments and trends, major policy disputes and such topics as violence, tabloid television and the quiz show scandal. It also includes histories of major television networks as well as broadcasting systems around the world and is complemented by resource materials, photos and bibliographical information.
The Great Debate and Beyond
Chicago played host to the first presidential debate on television. The debate between Richard M. Nixon and
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
took place September 26, 1960, at
WBBM-TVWBBM-TV digital channel 12 is the CBS owned and operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located within the CBS 2 Broadcast Center located in The Loop at 22 W Washington Street. The facilities are part of the development at 108 North State Street...
's former studios on McClurg Court. In the words of historian
Theodore WhiteTheodore Harold White was an American political journalist, historian, and novelist, best known for his accounts of the 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 presidential elections.-Reporter:...
, "American politics has never been the same since." The MBC has created an interactive, multimedia online exhibition celebrating this long relationship called The "Great Debate and Beyond: The History of Televised Presidential Debates"
http://www.museum.tv/debateweb/html/index.htm.