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.jpg) The Paley Center for Media entrance | |
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Former name |
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| Established | 1975 (1975) |
| Location | 25 West 52nd Street,Midtown Manhattan,New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°45′38″N73°58′39″W / 40.76056°N 73.97750°W /40.76056; -73.97750 |
| Type | Media Museum |
| Founder | William S. Paley |
| Website | paleycenter |
ThePaley Center for Media, formerly theMuseum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and theMuseum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 byWilliam S. Paley,[1] is an American cultural institution headquartered inNew York City with a branch office inLos Angeles. It is dedicated to the discussion of the cultural, creative, and social significance of television, radio, and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public.
It was renamed the Paley Center for Media on June 5, 2007, to encompass emerging broadcasting technologies such as theInternet,mobile video, andpodcasting, as well as to expand its role as a neutral setting where media professionals can engage in discussion and debate about the evolving media landscape.
In 1975 the original Museum of Broadcasting was founded with a gift by William S. Paley of US$2 million (equivalent to $12 million in 2024). It opened in Manhattan on November 9, 1976, occupying two floors in an office building at 1 East 53rd Street, near the corner of 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue.[2] In 1991 the museum changed its name to the Museum of Television & Radio with a move into the William S. Paley Building. The 16-story building was designed byPhilip Johnson and located at 25 West 52nd Street (adjacent to the famed21 Club at 21 West 52nd Street).[3][4] The museum was renamed the Paley Center for Media in 2007.[5][6]
In 1996 the Museum of Television & Radio in Los Angeles opened in a new building, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, designed byRichard Meier.[7]
In early 2020, the museum at North Beverly Drive closed and a move of the archives to theBeverly Hills Public Library was announced, with the staff moving to an office inCentury City.[8] The new archive officially opened in March 2025 after delays.[9][10][11]
The Paley Center for Media is committed to the idea that many television and radio programs are significant works and should be preserved for posterity's sake. Instead of collectingartifacts andmemorabilia, the Paley Center comprises mostly screening rooms, including two full-sized theaters. Nearly 160,000 television shows, commercials, and radio programs are available in the Paley Center's library, and during each visit, viewers can select and watch shows at individual consoles, and radio programs are accessed through these same consoles.
Some television programs are from the 1940s with radio programs dating back to the 1920s. The earliest TV program in the museum's collection is a silent film of NBC's 1939 production ofDion Boucicault's melodramaThe Streets of New York (1857), withNorman Lloyd,George Coulouris, andJennifer Jones.[12]
The museum does not sell the material or permit it to leave the premises. Viewing copies of television programs areHi-8mm video tape dubs. The originals are kept in a vault outside of New York City, and the collection is being digitized.[6] The Paley Center has acquired many lost episodes of classic television shows and has produceddocumentary features about the history and impact of television and radio. In recent years, the center has sponsored advance viewing of thepilot episodes of each network's new programs.
Television and radio shows are added to the collection after archival discoveries and through donations from individuals and organizations. In 2002, the museum held a showing of the previously unseen rehearsal film ofRodgers and Hammerstein'sCinderella telecast from March 17, 1957. This rehearsal was found in theCBS vault while the museum was on a quest for other "lost"Cinderella materials. It had been believed that on the night of the live broadcast the show was preserved on bothkinescope andvideotape and then transmitted to the West Coast. Seeking either of these, Jane Klain, the director of research at the New York facility, asked CBS to search their vaults. The CBS database listed three 16mm films featuring five-minute segments ofJulie Andrews performing in the show. When the earliest one was brought from the CBS vault, it was discovered to be the full dress rehearsal.
The center is also known for its many discoveries involving daytimegame shows. Episodes ofdestroyed shows such asHigh Rollers,Celebrity Sweepstakes,The Money Maze, theChuck Woolery version ofWheel of Fortune,To Say the Least, and daytimeHollywood Squares episodes are all available for viewing in the library. Episodes of other game shows such asTattletales,Let's Make a Deal, andThe Gong Show are also in the library.
Seminars and interviews with public figures are conducted frequently, all of which are recorded and available for later viewing on individual consoles. Past seminar participants have includedLucille Ball,Carol Burnett,Dick Cavett,Alan Alda,Al Franken,Steven Kunes,John Frankenheimer,James Garner,Bob Hope,Roy Huggins,Jack Paar,Dennis Potter,Dick Van Dyke, andGore Vidal. Also available for viewing are seminars featuring creators and cast members from TV shows, includingThe Larry Sanders Show,Seinfeld,King of the Hill,The Simpsons,South Park,The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,Arrested Development,House,Battlestar Galactica, andThe League. Panel discussions have varied from what it was like to work withOrson Welles to a celebration ofRoy Huggins's career.
TheWilliam S. Paley Television Festival, also known asPaleyFest, is an annual television festival hosted by the Paley Center in the Los Angeles area. Founded in 1984, the festival, held annually in the spring, features panels composed of the casts and prominent creative talent from popular television shows such asCommunity,Parks and Recreation,Mad Men, andLost, among many others. The panels field questions from a moderator and a public audience and often present exclusive content from their respective series. The festival has been in many venues over its history, including theLos Angeles County Museum of Art Bing Theater, theDirectors Guild of America theater, theCinerama Dome, and theSaban Theatre in Beverly Hills. It was relocated to the largerDolby Theatre inHollywood in 2014.[13] An annual Paleyfest New York event in the fall began in 2013.[14]
In 2010, The Paley Center for Media announced a partnership withIESE Business School to offer the Advanced Management Program in Media and Entertainment or the "Media AMP", a postgraduate level program for media and entertainment executives to preparing them for high level leadership roles in their companies. Launched in January 2011, the program's goal is to bring executives up to speed on new business models, management techniques, and technologies. A key feature is access to leaders in the industry.
The Media AMP curriculum covers four modules over a six-month period. Three of the modules are held in New York, and one in Los Angeles. Key discussion topics include: Value Creation; Digital Strategy; Accounting, Finance and Management Control; Content and Customers; Leadership; Production, Technology and Operations Management; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; IT Systems and Strategy; Managerial Economics and Decision Analysis; Marketing Strategy; and others.
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