WHO WE ARE
The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) in Chicago is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of radio and television. As one of the few institutions of its kind, the MBC collects, archives, and presents historic and contemporary content from radio, television, podcasting, and streaming platforms, serving as a vital educational and cultural resource.
Through its extensive archives, exhibitions, public programs, screenings, publications, and digital platforms, the MBC brings the rich legacy of broadcasting to life. The Museum explores the evolution of radio and television, highlighting not only the technological innovations that have shaped the medium but also the cultural impact of the voices and visionaries—on-air and behind the scenes—who have defined generations.
The MBC is committed to fostering a more media-literate society. By providing engaging educational frameworks and hands-on learning experiences for students, teachers, and parents, the Museum helps the public critically understand and engage with the media landscape of the past, present, and future.
The Museum is currently led by Chairman and President & CEO David Plier, whose leadership continues to advance its mission of education, preservation, and public service.
OUR HISTORY
The Museum of Broadcast Communications, one of the earliest broadcasting museums in America, was founded in 1982 with a $250 research and development contribution from the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The idea for the museum was proposed by Bruce DuMont, a longtime journalist and broadcaster, while he was on the board of the Chicago Television Academy. When DuMont suggested creating a museum, academy officers were supportive but gave him the responsibility as a “committee of one.” DuMont, whose uncle Allen B. DuMont was the founder of the DuMont Television Network was from a prominent broadcast family.
Initially, in 1982, the museum’s exploratory committee considered potential locations, including the proposed central library to be built in the former Goldblatt’s department store on State Street, the downtown Cultural Center, and the Chicago Avenue Armory. In October 1983, the museum was chartered as a nonprofit, and by early 1984, it occupied a 650-square-foot temporary office in River City. It was organized with a board of trustees, including Essie Kupcinet and Ray Nordstrand, and in 1984, Arthur C. Nielsen Jr. of the A.C. Nielsen Co. agreed to become the chairman of the board.
After months of negotiations and fundraising, the museum officially opened in June 1987 at a prominent first-floor location in the River City apartment, retail, and office complex at 800 S. Wells Street in Burnham Park on the Near South Side of Chicago. Early supporters of the museum included The MacArthur Foundation, The Frost Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, Quaker Oats Co., and local radio and television stations. In-kind donations came from companies like Eastman Kodak Co., which provided videotape and archival materials, and Zenith Electronics Corp., which donated consumer electronics equipment. High-profile financial backers with strong Chicago connections included Arthur C. Nielsen, media pollster and founder of A.C. Nielsen Co.; Paul and Angel Harvey, Betty White, Bob Newhart, Jane Pauley and Mike Wallace.
WHERE WE’VE BEEN
RIVER CITY 1987 – 1992
The Museum of Broadcast Communications opened its first location in June 1987 at the River City condominium complex, located at 800 S. Wells Street. A highlight of the new museum was The A.C. Nielsen Research Center, which featured a video and audio library housing thousands of hours of TV and radio programming. The center was equipped with 10 study bays, each furnished with video and audio equipment for visitor use.
The museum’s original exhibits included a black-and-white mural of the famous 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates, along with a vintage TV camera and footage from the Chicago debates. Another key attraction was The Sportscaster’s Café featuring Jack Brickhouse, a reimagined old bar featuring sports memorabilia and a screen showcasing memorable moments from sports television history, starting with the 1952 World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees. Additional exhibits included the set from Frazier Thomas’ Family Classics, the “Genius of Disney: The Television Years” exhibit, a gallery featuring a continuous reel of advertising clips from the past, and special exhibition reels focused on topics like “Vietnam on Television: Television on Vietnam,” “The American Children’s Television Festival,”
THE CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER 1992-2003
The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) remained in River City for nearly five years before relocating to the Chicago Cultural Center in June 1992. The new space spanned 15,300 square feet on the first floor and attracted approximately 200,000 visitors annually. By 2002, it ranked 13th among Chicago's top tourist attractions, according to the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. MBC remained at this second location for nearly a decade, showcasing a range of artifacts, including an early WGN color television camera—a massive 1,000-pound, six-foot-tall metal contraption—Charlie McCarthy, the wisecracking sidekick of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, and the set and costumes from Bozo’s Circus and other notable Chicago television programs. Additional exhibits featured Fibber McGee & Molly’s iconic cluttered closet, period rooms illustrating the evolution of radio listening habits, and a fully operational radio and television studio.
360 NORTH STATE STREET 2003-2023
In 2003, DuMont set forth overly ambitious plans to expand the 20-year-old Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) by securing its own building on State Street. That year, the MBC board purchased a former parking garage—originally built in 1927—and a former car dealership, which had housed various restaurants on the ground floor.
The museum reopened in its new location at 360 N. State St. on June 13, 2012, exactly 25 years after it first opened its doors. The Radio Hall of Fame gallery, located on the second floor of the museum, had been open to the public since December 1, 2011. The pre-opening ceremony and ribbon cutting for the MBC’s 3rd location on June 12, 2012 included Chicago-born actors John Mahoney (Frasier) and Betty White (The Golden Girls) and newscaster Hugh Downs (20/20).
Attractions at the State Street location featured an array of exhibits celebrating broadcast history. Highlights included a 22-foot-long steel and neon sculpture displaying images across 36 monitors, as well as iconic television sets from WGN-TV’s Bozo’s Circus, Family Classics, Ray Rayner, and Bill Jackson’s Cartoontown. Other notable displays included ME-TV’s Svengoolie set, stage doors from The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Paul & Angel Harvey Radio Studio, The William Joseph Bell and Lee Philip Bell Television Studio, the Polk Bros. Theatre, the TV Land Comedy Experience, and The Paul Lisnek Gallery.
The National Radio Hall of Fame Gallery included The Paul and Angel Harvey Radio Studio, the original Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd, and Effie Klinker figures created by Edgar Bergen, as well as vintage radios and memorabilia from legendary programs such as Fibber McGee and Molly and The Jack Benny Program.
The MBC temporarily closed its doors on March 15, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum briefly reopened that summer but later shifted its focus to educational programs and an online lecture series before a temporary reopening. A resurgence of the public health crisis led to another round of shutdowns in mid-November that lasted for months, further disrupting operations.
In 2023, a real estate company that owned the building’s 3rd & 4th floors exercised a provision to acquire the remainder of the property. While the MBC’s artifacts and library are in accessible storage, the museum created new online exhibits as they search for a new home.
WHERE WE ARE GOING
In March 2025, David Plier, Chairman and newly appointed Interim President and CEO of the MBC, announced plans to reopen the museum in a new pop up location in October 2025. The reopening will coincide with the centennial celebration of Johnny Carson and the 75th anniversary of late-night television.