ABC7 gets tour of revitalized Museum of Broadcast Communications in West Loop
There are new exhibits and late night show features at the museum.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Museum of Broadcast Communications is back! It just opened in the West Loop, with classic collections, interactive features and treasures of TV and radio eras gone by.
Late night shows and the legendary Johnny Carson, who hosted "The Tonight Show" for 30 years, are in the spotlight for debut exhibits, and ABC7's Hosea Sanders took us on a tour of the experience!
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It all started back in the 1980s, putting the ever-expansive history of the airways in a place where the audience can explore, get informed and be entertained.
A revitalized Museum of Broadcast Communications has been in the works for a year. Dave Plier is chairman and president. Sanders spoke with him at a replica of Carson's desk.
"There was a time that Johnny had 20 or 30 million people watching him as the same time. So, everybody went to bed with Johnny," Plier said. "We have all the original set pieces, the original Bozo drum, the grand prize game, the drum that had all the children's postcards when they wanted to play from home."
There is even an interactive "I Dream of Jeannie" set, a Jim Beam collectible decanter inspired this design!
"A prop artist walked into a liquor store, saw the bottle, painted it, and it became the iconic bottle we know today," Plier said. "For the last five decades, The Loop was on the air. Jonathan Brandmeier, Kevin Matthews, Steve and Garry - You can't talk about The Loop without Disco Demolition at Comiskey Park - more people were ticked off that the game was canceled."
When asked what his dream is for the museum, Plier said, "You get to smile you get to laugh you get to reengage with some of the things that you grew up with or something you've never seen before. In a world full of chaos these days, and the news, you're getting 24-seven, whether it's on television on your phone, on your iPad, this gives you a minute to pull the curtain down and just really relax and enjoy a fun experience."
