FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Betsy Shepherd 312-266-4880 (o) 312-307-3958 (c) [email protected]

THE MUSEUM OF BROADCAST COMMUNICATIONS TO CELEBRATE THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND STARS OF THE 80S AT JUNE GALA

CHICAGO, May 2, 2013 -- “Whatcha talking about Willis?” Mr. T, Jane Pauley and Today, MTV, , 21 Jump Street, Dynasty and The Golden Girls. There is no doubt the 80s had an indelible impact on pop culture and television.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) announced today that it will celebrate that memorable decade at “A Salute to the MBC: Celebrating the Sights, Sounds & Stars of the 80s,” set to take place June 22, 2013.

“In terms of stars, style and substance, much of the TV landscape of today finds its genesis in 1980s television,” MBC Founder, President and CEO Bruce DuMont said. “The Museum of Broadcast Communications is proud to salute that impressive honor roll of talent from every aspect of the medium.”

The reception and tour of exhibits will start at 7:00 p.m. with dinner at 8:00 p.m. The program, including montages for each genre celebrated -- Comedy, Drama, Music-Variety, Talk, Sports and News -- will commence at 9:30 p.m. All events will be at the MBC, located at 360 N. State in Chicago. Tickets for the gala, beginning at $350 each, are available online at museum.tv or by calling 312-245-8200.

In a related initiative, the MBC will launch the “The Life & Times of Gary Coleman,” chronicling Coleman’s popularity and his impact on pop culture in the 1980s. The summer-long exhibition will run from June 26, 2013 to September 14, 2013 during the museum’s hours, Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

One of the biggest stars of the 80s, and a native of suburban Zion, Coleman was the perfect subject for the exhibit. It will feature artifacts donated by Gary Coleman’s parents William and Sue Coleman, who will also appear in person at a museum seminar on July 20 from 12-2 p.m.

“The summer of 2013 in Chicago will showcase Gary in his hometown. To long-time Chicagoans the exhibition will rekindle thoughts of this remarkable young star that started his career as a commercial spokesman to become the undisputed star of Different Strokes and an international celebrity,” Bruce DuMont said. “Producer Norman Lear, who discovered Gary, and former NBC President Fred Silverman, who ‘green lighted’ the series, will offer their personal reflections on Gary’s special talents and career in a special video produced by the MBC. There also will be daily screenings of classic Coleman shows donated by Sony Television and other examples of his work shown in the MBC’s Polk Theater.”

The mission of the Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform, and entertain the public through its archives, public programs, screenings, exhibits, publications and online access to its resources.

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