MBC Media Cafe brings TV, radio history into the digital age

The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) in Chicago unveiled plans for enhanced public access to its collection of over 85,000 hours of historic radio and television programming.

As the centerpiece of the new 70,000-square-foot, hands-on museum being built in downtown Chicago, the MBC Media Cafe will provide street-level access to the MBC’s ever expanding digital archive. It will be a resource for both the casual visitor and serious researchers and, MBC says, will serve to fulfill the educational mission of the MBC by making available the rich history of American radio and television.

“The MBC Media Cafe will provide access using touch-screen technology in a visitor-friendly cafe setting where guests will engage the collection at their fingertips while they enjoy a cup of gourmet coffee and a snack,” said Bruce DuMont, MBC founder-president and CEO. “In particular, the MBC Media Cafe will highlight the early pioneers and showcase the creative trend setters who have defined radio and television programming as we know it today,” added DuMont.

The MBC Media Cafe collection will be organized into eight genres, reflecting the dynamic exhibits to be housed upstairs at the new museum: Comedy, Drama, Music-Variety, Games-Reality, Children, Talk, News and Sports. The Cafe will also connect to the museum’s extensive holdings of documentaries and commercials with offerings constantly updated as new digital content is added to the collection. Located on the same floor as the Media Cafe, the A.C. Nielsen Jr. Research Center will provide access to material still residing in non-digital formats.

Using the MBC collection as a foundation, regularly scheduled public programs will produce new scholarship and foster fresh debate on the role of broadcast media in our society.

The $32-million project has the support of The Walt Disney Co., NBC/Universal, Viacom’s TV Land, WBBM Chicago as well as The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Lee Phillip Bell, Paul and Angel Harvey, Jerry Springer, the State of Illinois and all major Illinois foundations.