Broadcast history lives again: Chicago's museum reopens with new exhibits
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"The Loop" exhibit at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, the Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is back in Chicago.
Why it matters: The museum is one of the only in the country dedicated to broadcast media.
The latest: After giving up its space at Kinzie and State in 2023, the museum is now occupying a pop-up space at 440 W. Randolph St. in the Loop.
- It has the lease through January 2027.
Zoom in: The museum opened with several new exhibits, including an extensive look at Johnny Carson and late-night television.
- Locally, there is an homage to WGN's Bozo's Circus (with the buckets) and a new exhibit on the history of "The Loop," Chicago's premier rock and talk radio station.
What they're saying: "The reopening marks a new era for our cultural institution," MBC chair, CEO and president David Plier tells Axios.
- "We had an incredibly strong opening weekend and we're confident that enthusiasm will continue throughout the run of the exhibit."
Flashback: The MBC was founded in 1982 and had its first-ever public exhibit in the South Loop in 1987. The museum became front-page news in the 2000s as it pushed for state funding for the sprawling space at Kinzie and State streets.
- Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich had promised $8 million in state funding in 2005, but the funds never materialized, leaving the museum in a lurch. Gov. Pat Quinn gave the museum its funding in 2010.
Yes, but: Even though the museum spent 20 years there, the 18,000-square-foot space proved to be too large and expensive to maintain, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The bottom line: The MBC has been part of Chicago for decades, and its reopening offers a glimpse into archives and collections that can't be seen anywhere else.
If you go: The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday.