Television, radio and the Internet are melding into one medium at a faster pace than ever before.
And one museum — The Paley Center for Media, which will host The Deal's Convergence 2.0 conference on Sept. 17 — pays homage to all three formats through the collection, preservation and interpretation of their programming.
Formerly the Museum of Television and Radio, the name was changed in June in recognition of the fact that the media landscape is dramatically different from the time the museum was founded 31 years ago.
Renamed for its founder — former CBS chairman William S. Paley — the center is devoted to convening media leaders and the public for programs that illuminate the immense impact of media — in all its forms — on our lives, culture and society.
With locations in New York City and Los Angeles, The Paley Center has an international collection of over 140,000 programs covering almost 100 years of television and radio. Its library’s offerings run the gamut from news coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy to episodes from ABC's "The Wide World of Sports," as well as archival materials focusing on public affairs and documentaries, performing arts, children's shows, sports, comedy, variety shows and commercial advertising.
Shows can be watched individually or in several screening rooms where the museum presents programs exploring a current theme pertaining to the impact of TV on our society.
Additionally The Paley Center offer numerous public programs in the Media as Lens subscription series, which bring together writers, directors, producers, actors, critics, journalists and artists from many disciplines to discuss such topics as the creative process behind television and radio, the current trends in media and popular culture, and global politics. Recent panels have included a conversation with MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe, a discussion on technology and threats to press freedom, and breakfast with CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus. —George White
Go to Convergence 2.0 conference site
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