Imagine That-A Broadcast Museum - Videokarma.org TV - Video

julianburke · #1 05-30-2012, 03:25 PM

I just received an email yesterday from someone for the MBC (Museum of Broadcast/Chicago) looking for some 1950's TV's and a couple of neon signs to make a temporary exhibit. What kind of museum is this??

Apparently they don't have any artifacts-just programming material from days of old like their old place had. It's a library, not a museum of artifacts!!

Imagine that--a broadcasting museum with no old TV's and such. I'll put my money on Geoffrey Bourne's museum in West Virginia!

Steve K · #2 05-30-2012, 04:24 PM

Years ago the MBC was in downtown Chicago and I went to see it every year while attending a conference there. It was a nice little museum with many radios and TVs on display including a mock radio broadcast booth and a TV station news room where visitors could sit behind the anchor desk and see themselves on TV. The museum had to move and it took many years for them to re-open. I am assuming that this is the same one. If you look at their website it does say that they have many radios and TV on display along with other artifacts.

Steve

julianburke · #3 05-30-2012, 08:36 PM

Same one but why are they needing TV's and some signs?? I would think they would have plenty by now.

Leslie · #4 05-30-2012, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julianburke

I just received an email yesterday from someone for the MBC (Museum of Broadcast/Chicago) looking for some 1950's TV's and a couple of neon signs to make a temporary exhibit. What kind of museum is this??

Apparently they don't have any artifacts-just programming material from days of old like their old place had. It's a library, not a museum of artifacts!!

Imagine that--a broadcasting museum with no old TV's and such. I'll put my money on Geoffrey Bourne's museum in West Virginia!

This museum has recently moved into a new building that cost a fortune and was promised funding by Illinois' former governor. The funding fell through when the director of the museum failed to make a contribution to the campaign fund. After much controversy, the museum is now in it's new home, which as of yet is not open to the public. The museum's chief assets at present consist of a large library of film, tape and kinescope from Chicago's television history. They are trying to get enough artifacts together to make the museum a viable place to welcome visitors and present historical programming in a setting appealing to tourists and Chicagoans alike. This has been in the works for about 10 years and I 'm not sure if they will ever open it to the public.

ChrisW6ATV · #5 05-31-2012, 01:36 AM

Over 25 years ago when that museum was first getting started, it was on the Near West Side of Chicago (or Near Southwest), and it already had a big room full of old radios and TVs. My brother donated a few radios he had to them, some really nice ones. I hope it can get opened to the public again soon.

miniman82 · #6 05-31-2012, 09:41 AM

I am going to try and loan a few of my color sets to their exhibit, they will have a replica Polk Bros store front.

RCAGuy · #7 05-31-2012, 08:10 PM

It IS very much open to the public -- or at least part of it is. I was in Chicago over St. Patrick's Day, and I literally stumbled upon the beautiful building just north of the green Chicago River (it was dyed green, and is not naturally so!) The "new" building is really an ingeniously converted parking garage with a new skin. It looks like a brand new place. They do have a few pieces on display, but as others have noted it is mostly a salute to the PROGRAMMING and not the DEVICES. It looks woefully underfunded, but I enjoyed spending about an hour reading through the displays and watching the videos of their annual awards program. And, of course, much of the information is "Second City" centric.

miniman82 · #8 06-02-2012, 04:01 PM

Just got back from dropping off the CTC-7, Yosh loaned a pair of vintage B&W sets with modern guts so they can be played all day long. The place is really coming along, interior is almost done. I have to go back next Saturday to drop off the pair of signs I didn't have room for this go around, anyone have a set they would like dropped off? They could use a spare or two for other displays.

They had a TK-41 donated from WGN in one mockup of a studio, would be cool if they had some period monitors to go along with it.

old_tv_nut · #9 06-02-2012, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miniman82

They had a TK-41 donated from WGN in one mockup of a studio, would be cool if they had some period monitors to go along with it.

They've had the TK-41 for a long time. Unfortunately (IIRC) it is only the head and not the racks. Also, IIRC, this was the camera that televised the Nixon-Kruschev "kitchen debates" although I can't find confirmation right now.

Confirmed on their web site is that they have a black and white camera from the NIxon-Kennedy debates.

miniman82 · #10 06-02-2012, 05:39 PM

Right, just the camera on a dolly. They had a display that showed the Nixon-Kennedy debate, but it wasn't complete yet.

julianburke · #11 06-03-2012, 09:12 PM

The Nixon/Kennedy was done in B&W with TK11 cameras. They have one that was there. AFAIK, the TK41 was not used there.

old_tv_nut · #12 06-03-2012, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julianburke

The Nixon/Kennedy was done in B&W with TK11 cameras. They have one that was there. AFAIK, the TK41 was not used there.

Correct - the Kennedy-Nixon debates were in a black and white studio at the CBS station (WBBM) in Chicago. The TK-41 at the museum was obtained from WGN.