Your Chicago: Museum Of Broadcast Communications

CHICAGO (CBS) – One of Chicago's newest museums pays homage to the history of radio and television.

For Kathie Cnota, visiting the Museum of Broadcast Communications at State and Kinzie is an opportunity to take a walk down memory lane. It houses a treasure trove of memorabilia.

"The nostalgia of looking at all of pictures, all of the memories it brings back, just reliving all of that," she says of the appeal.

There are plenty of pictures. There's the comedy wing, and not far away, some of the finest dramatic actors of all time. The MBC was the vision of broadcaster Bruce DuMont, who's now the museum's president and CEO.

"I was working at Channel 2 30 years ago, producing The Lee Phillip Show, and I saw the way tape were being handled -- not terribly well organized, and so it bothered me that historical moments were not being preserved," DuMont tells CBS 2's Rob Johnson.

Historical moments like the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate at the old CBS 2 studios. The recreation at the museum is DuMont's favorite display.

Cnota's favorite display is that of 1950's TV pioneer Mary Hartline, one of the first TV stars to be heavily merchandised. But beyond the 85,000 hours of tape, there is an interactive section to teach the younger set about evolution of TV.

"I think it's important to be able to see where we came from in technology as to where we are now because it's happened over all of these years and we just kind of take it for granted," Cnota says.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6 for children 4 to 12 years old.