We connect you to the past, present, and future of media.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) collects, preserves, and presents historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educating, informing, and entertaining the public through its archives, public programs, screenings, exhibits, publications and online access to its resources.
Whether you are consumer or creator for this vast and powerful empire, we offer context to all facets of media, from the technology that drives it to the talent that enriches it, on air and behind the scenes.
We provide educational framework for the public, teachers, and parents to help create a more media literate society. We also work to ensure the opportunities for broadcast media to be representative of diverse voices.
History
The Museum of Broadcast Communications was founded in 1982 by broadcaster Bruce DuMont to preserve the archives and legacy of several stations that lacked the space or resources to save their fragile materials.
Knowing that these materials would be valuable in understanding the history of radio and television, the mission was to create a space that allowed the materials to be preserved and displayed.
The first building opened to the public in June 1987 in River City in the South Loop.
In June 1992, the expanding museum moved to a more central location on the first floor of the Chicago Cultural Center. The MBC opened at 360 N State Street in Chicago in June 2012. The museum is now seeking a new location to open in 2025 in collaboration with a local University.
Board of Directors
David Bart
National Director of Corporate Restructuring and Complex Litigation, Baker-Tilly
Andrea Darlas
Senior Director of Constituent Engagement, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
Dennis Green
MBC Vice President
CRO, Key Networks /Sun & Fun Media
Kraig Kitchin
MBC Vice President
Co-President, Sound Mind Inc
David Plier
MBC Chairman, President & CEO
Host WGN Radio, Co-Founder Retail First
Edmund Ramsay
MBC Vice President
Business Development Manager, DePaul University
Tracy Slutzkin
Partner, River Strategies
Nancy Wiard
Vice Chair, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Emeritus Chairs
Larry Wert
Former President, Tribune Broadcast Media
Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr. (1919 - 2011)
Former CEO, Nielsen Company