FAQs

1. I was on Bozo's Circus as a child. Do you have a copy of the show?
2. I am doing a history project. What resources are available?
3. I'm from a network and need footage for a news story. Can I have it?
4. To find out more information about old radio shows, what references do you recommend?
5. To find out more information about television shows, what references do you recommend?
6. Where else can I find copies of television shows?
7. Where can I buy copies of old television shows?
8. Where can I buy copies of old radio shows?
9. Where can I find radio airchecks?
10. Where else can I get copies of the national news?
11. Where can I get copies of a Chicago newscast?
    
12. Where else can I get copies of commercials?
13. Where else can I buy historical films and documentaries?
14. Where else can I buy photos of stars?
15. How can I contact stars?
16. Where else can I find stock footage?
17. Where can I obtain answers to technical or legal questions about broadcasting?
18. I'd like more information about Chuck Schaden's Those Were the Days radio broadcast.
19. Where can I donate old television sets or radios?

I was on Bozo's Circus as a child. Do you have a copy of the show?
We have 15 episodes of Bozo's Circus. Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to make copies of these programs.

I am doing a history project. What resources are available?
Browse our online Encyclopedia of Television, First edition.

The MBC also has the following online resources:

• Online exhibit tracing the history of televised presidential debates from 1960-2000.
• Documentaries and lesson plans on Civil Rights, Vietnam War, World War II, and Performing Arts.
• Streaming audio and video and essays highlighting major moments in television and radio history.

I‘m from a network and need footage for a news story. Can I have it?
Yes, under the Fair Use Act, you can use between 8-10 seconds of footage without permission.

Read about how to obtain copies of programs in our Archives. The Archives Department is available to fulfill duplication requests. Click here to e-mail our Archives Department at archives@museum.tv.

To find out more information about old radio shows, what references do you recommend?
Read about our Encyclopedia of Radio.

Additional sources include:
Buxton, Frank. The Big Broadcast, 1920-1950. New York: Viking Press, 1972. ISBN: 067016240X.

Dunning, John. Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925 -1976. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1976. ISBN: 0139326162.

To find out more information about television shows, what references do you recommend?
Browse our online Encyclopedia of Television, First edition. Read about our Encyclopedia of Television, Second Edition.

Additional sources include:
Brooks, Tim and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946 ? Present. 8th ed. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003. ISBN: 0-345-45542-8.

Castleman, Harry and Walter J. Podrazik. Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows: A Fact-Filled Opinionated Guide to the Best and Worst on TV. 1st ed. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1989. ISBN: 0139332502.

Castleman, Harry and Walter J. Podrazik. The TV Schedule Book: Four Decades of Network Programming from Sign-On to Sign-Off. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. ISBN: 0070102783 (hardcover); 0070102775 (pbk.).

Castleman, Harry and Walter J. Podrazik. 505 Television Questions Your Friends Can't Answer. New York: Walker, 1983. ISBN: 0802707319 (hardcover); 0802772102 (pbk.).

Castleman, Harry and Walter J. Podrazik. Watching TV: Six Decades of American Television. 2nd ed. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0815629885.

Kisseloff, Jeff. The Box: An Oral History of Television, 1920-1961. New York: Viking, 1995. ISBN: 0670864706.

McNeil, Alex. Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present 4th Edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. ISBN: 0140249168

Where else can I find copies of television shows?
Visit our online store.

Contact the Paley Center for Media, UCLA Film & Television Archive, or the network/production company of the show you are looking for.

Where can I buy copies of old television shows?
Visit our online store.

Where can I buy copies of old radio shows?
Visit our online store.

Additional sites include: Radio Spirits, SPERDVAC, or Remember When Productions.

Where can I find radio airchecks?
Visit Man from Mars Productions, California Aircheck, or Vuolo Video Aircheck.

Where can I get copies of the national news?
The MBC has national news programs in our Archives.

Read about how to obtain copies of programs in our Archives. The Archives Department is available to fulfill duplication requests. Click here to e-mail our Archives Department at archives@museum.tv.

Additional source: Contact the Vanderbilt Television News Archive.

Where can I get copies of a Chicago newscast?
The MBC has archived one 10 p.m. Chicago newscast everyday since 1987. You can search them all in our Archives.

Read about how to obtain copies of programs in our Archives. The Archives Department is available to fulfill duplication requests. Click here to e-mail our Archives Department at archives@museum.tv.

Where else can I get copies of commercials?
Contact the Eisner Museum, the Hartman Center at Duke University for print advertising, or visit Clio for award-winning commercials.

Where else can I buy historical films and documentaries?
Visit WTTW11, PBS, or International Historic Films, Inc.

Where else can I buy photos of stars?
Visit Empire Publishing, The Library of American Broadcasting, Movie Star News, or the Everett Collection.

How can I contact stars?
Visit the Screen Actors Guild or AFTRA.

Where can I find stock footage?
The MBC has over 80 stock footage programs in its Archives.

Read about how to obtain copies of programs in our Archives. The Archives Department is available to fulfill duplication requests (Phone: 312-245-8200, E-mail).

Where can I obtain answers to technical or legal questions about broadcasting?
Browse our online Encyclopedia of Television, First edition.

Additional sources include the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

I‘d like information about Chuck Schaden's Those Were the Days radio broadcast.
Those Were the Days is broadcast from the College of DuPage and can be heard Saturdays at 1:00 P.M. on 90.9 WDCB-FM. Visit the website.

Where can I donate old television sets or radios?
To donate antique radios, televisions, and broadcasting equipment, contact the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in Minnesota.

To donate old television sets, contact the MZ Television Museum, based in Toronto, Canada; or the Early Television Foundation and Museum, in Hilliard, Ohio.

For buying, selling or repairing old radios, contact Electromagnetic (T:309-681-8304), The Old Radio Shoppe (T:708-771-2477), and Damaske Electronics (T:262- 679-0838).