On Saturday, Aug. 16, the community will have an opportunity to learn more about the rich broadcasting history we have right in our own backyard with a tour of the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting.
“The museum has been in development for several years, since the Voice of America stopped transmitting and the property was given up by the Federal Government, but it has only been in the last nine months or so that we have really become aggressive in developing a first-class museum, which is a two-to-three-year, $12 to $15 million dollar project,” said Jack Dominic, the museum’s executive director.
Currently, there are three displays available to the public in an approximate 15,000 square foot space. One of the core displays focuses on the history of the Voice of America and the significant contribution that the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region played to the development of the Voice of America back in the 1940s and ’50s.
There is also a display of historical artifacts about the general broadcast industry, going back to the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation, up to the present. The display contains a lot of Cincinnati memorabilia.
“The Cincinnati area has been a very significant innovator in the area of radio and television and that display chronicles the contribution,” Dominic said.
The third part of the display is called the Gray History of Wireless, which shows the history of radio. It includes a comprehensive collection of historical artifacts dating back to the time of Guglielmo Marconi, who was considered the “Father of Modern Radio.”
Built in 1944, VOA originally transmitted to Europe, Africa and South America.
“The museum’s Executive Board is working really hard to further develop the museum and honor the history of the building, taking the opportunity to understand what VOA meant to so many people, and the technology that was developed right here in our backyard. It’s important that people stop by and check it out,” said Barb Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Township.
When complete, the 30,000 square foot facility will include a number of interactive, talking displays. The museum will include a permanent display as well as a number of traveling displays. The building’s exterior has already been totally refurbished.
“The museum is actually much more than a regional or local museum, it played a national and international role,” Dominic said.
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