CMU School of Drama


Friday, November 17, 2023

National Museum of Broadcasting Plans Begin to Take Shape

TV Tech: Plans are in the works for the creation of the National Museum of Broadcasting in Pittsburgh that will explore the timeline of electronic media, from its humble beginnings in AM radio all the way to our modern era of streaming and social. The city of Pittsburgh was selected for its stamp on broadcasting history: Station KDKA(AM) began broadcasting from the Steel City more than 103 years ago.

7 comments:

Owen Sheehan said...

Oh my god this is so cool, why is this the first time I’m hearing about this. I hope something comes of this before I graduate because AV history, particularly radio history, is something I’m really interested in. I’ve read articles and watched many videos about radio history and the kind of equipment that was used in early broadcasting. So, a physical museum dedicated to this would be so cool and something I can definitely get behind. I’m glad more attention is being given to the history of broadcasting because it is really quite intriguing. I think people take for granted the complexities of radio and early TV broadcasting because to us in the modern age, it’s basically ephemeral knowledge that isn’t really needed. However, counterpoint, it’s really cool and I think more people should know about it. Take for example, if I were to ask an average person what the difference between AM and FM was and what they stood for, they’d have no idea. This post makes me look like a radio evangelist and I am 100% ok with that.

Sam Regardie said...

This seems like a super interesting concept for a museum, and I would most definitely be interested in going to it seeing that it is opening in Pittsburgh. History of technology like this is not something that is talked about a whole lot, but I know that myself and many others are interested in these kinds of topics, so I think it is great that this museum is opening. I think people often take for granted the incredible technology that they have access to and let its history simply disappear from public knowledge, so this museum will hopefully help address some of these issues. I also find it shocking and incredibly impressive that a person with only a 7th-grade education managed to create the basis of all modern broadcasting. I am very happy that the museum is choosing to focus heavily on his contributions and how vital he is to what we have today.

Sonja Meyers said...

This is a super cool article. Video game development and design is such a fascinating thing with so many different pieces, and the game industry as a whole is something that just develops and evolves so quickly, like most technology things today. It’s pretty cool to me that the standard today for major new video games (if we ignore the piece of the video game industry where stylised art styles are purposeful and a creative choice that compliments the game well - which still needs a lot of effort to be designed well) is hyper-realistic environments, people, and clothing where each and ever fold and wrinkle on the clothes is perfect. I think the piece in the article about how one of the major struggles for the Call of Duty clothing designer is trying to make military equipment that looks realistic, but not too realistic is fascinating. That’s a really interesting conundrum to be in.

Ella McCullough said...

This is a really cool idea and something I never thought about turning into a museum but I guess that is the day and age we are living in. radio and media really is old enough to have a museum, who would have thought. I love all the artifacts and the garage that are discussed. I cannot say that I know much about the history of broadcast which is why this is such a fantastic idea. I think the thing I liked best about reading this was when they explained that they plan on having in-house radio/podcasting and video production facilities. I think the whole point of museums is to educate and I really like the idea of having the historic (that feels weird to say) video and radio artifacts and history paired with the more modern approach. I would definitely go visit the museum when it opens and I think it is such an exciting idea and I cannot wait to hear more about it.

willavu said...

I would totally want to go to a museum about the history of Broadcasting. The transfer of knowledge has evolved over the past hundred years and even before then. The idea of sharing information has been one of the most important tools. To give someone else knowledge is something that is neccesary for a society to function. The way that broadcasting has eveolved is pretty cool too, from writing letters to a click of a button. The mass share culture of today is not perfect in anyway– yet it is really cool how much people can influence each other these days. The changes of culture is pretty dense and could use a museum that organzied this information. It would also make technology something that is not as taken for granted, we should look back sometimes, appreciating what we have but also, educating ourselves on the devices we use/ interact with/ listen to.

Penny Preovolos said...

I would love, like absolutely love to see a museum dedicated to the history of broadcasting. I think it started and inspired so much of the media we consume today. Before television and movies, it was the main way to communicate to a large audience. There was storytelling there was music. I think it would be interesting to see how it evolved so we can see how it still influences our modern media, like audiobooks, podcasts, and digital and electronic storytelling in general. I am not sure when the museum will be done but I really hope it finishes in the time i am here in my four years because I would really like to see it. I think radio is one of the purest forms of storytelling because it is word by mouth, it's how we tell stories to children before bedtime and it's how we communicate about our lives and days, and I honestly don't think it is an art appreciated enough. A good radio host actually makes a huge difference and I would love to see a museum about their technology.

John E said...
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