Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture @UMD

After the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Shutdown, UMD Keeps its History Alive

University Libraries Maintain 6 Decades of Archives From Groundbreaking PBS, NPR Shows Like ‘Sesame Street,’ ‘All Things Considered’ today.umd.edu/after-the-co...

Mo Rocca Selected for 2026 LABF Insight Award at NAB Show - Radio Ink Mo Rocca has been named the 2026 LABF Insight Award recipient and will be honored during the We Are Broadcasters event at NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation and the NAB have named CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Mo Rocca as the recipient of the 2026 LABF Insight Award to be presented April 21 during the We Are Broadcasters event at the 2026 NAB Show. radioink.com/2026/02/12/m...

#QSLfriday The Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications' extensive collection is part of the Library of American Broadcasting. Many years ago, Michael Henry, our Reference Specialist, produced a four-panel display on CPRV's QSLs for a Broadcast Education Association convention.

#gameshows Long before "The Masked Singer," there was "Masquerade Party. From 1952 to 1960, the show appeared at various times on ABC, NBC, and CBS. "Masquerade Party" ranked eighth on TV Guide's 2001 list of "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time." (colorized photo)

In 1956, young Dick Van Dyke hosted "CBS Cartoon Theater," a 13-episode summer replacement show that showcased the network’s newly acquired library of Terrytoons cartoons and publicized the Saturday morning programs for kids.
[From our photo archives.]

#QSLfriday WDAN in Danville, Illinois, went on the air in October 1938, with studios in the basement of the Hotel Welford. WDAN programming included CBS Radio and locally produced programs. One such local program was the first job for a young Dick Van Dyke. #otr

#quizshows "Quiz Kids" was a radio and TV series originally broadcast in the 1940s and 1950s (left). In the 1980s, there was a revival, "New Quiz Kids," hosted by Norman Lear (right).

#QSLfriday WMBH (now KQYX) was initially licensed in January 1927. The station adopted the slogan "Where Memories Bring Happiness" based on its call sign.

#gameshows "Double or Nothing" (1940-1953) was quoted in the Congressional Record. "John Reed King, emcee, asked a contestant how far one billion one-dollar bills would reach. Rep. Frank Carlson (R-KS) tied the answer into the debate on the national debt." – Owensboro Messenger, 5/11/45 #otr

The warehouse, which formerly housed a Washington Post printing facility, is shared among several university departments for storage. Containing over 180,000 shelves, in rows that stand 35 feet tall, the facility helps the libraries store materials securely and efficiently. 2/2

Severn Library is the University Libraries' high-density storage facility, located just north of campus. This enormous warehouse holds thousands of books from the library's circulating collections, as well as archival materials from Special Collections and University Archives. 1/2

#QSLfriday KFTI in Wichita is one of the oldest stations in Kansas, dating to 1923, when it was founded as KFKB by the notorious "goat gland doctor," J. R. Brinkley. In late 1929, Radio Digest reported that "The Sunshine Station in the Heart of the Nation" was KFKB's new slogan.

Magazine caption: "Here's a partially completed sketch of silent-screen star Ben Turpin, which won a trip around the world for one contestant on 'Dotto.' Both studio and home audience compete for prizes, guessing dot-by-dot until the subject is identified." – TV-Radio Mirror (June 1958)

#gameshows "Dotto" was a television game show that aired in 1958, combining a general knowledge quiz with the children's game of "connect the dots." The program, hosted by Jack Narz, quickly became the highest-rated daytime show of that year. Later, the press revealed that the show had been rigged.

New Letterpress Studio in Hornbake Library Features 2 Donated Antique Presses today.umd.edu/to-experienc...

#QSLfriday KOMO (now KNWN) first broadcast on December 31, 1926. The studios moved to Downtown Seattle in 1927. The station began a long-running affiliation with NBC Radio that year, primarily with the Red Network, as well as with the short-lived West Coast NBC Orange Network from 1931 to 1933.

The 2025 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony, an annual event of the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation, will take place tomorrow, Friday, November 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Gotham Hall in New York City. www.tvradiolibrary.org/giants-2025

How Fleischmann's Yeast created both CBS and The New Yorker magazine An odd media history story about big media and yeast, from the 1920s.

Little-known media history oddity: The Fleischmann's Yeast company started both The New Yorker magazine & the CBS broadcast network... and Theranos?

It's a strange story.

The Latest in The Lint Trap.

linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/how-fleisc...

#gameshows "Video Village" was a daytime show on CBS from 1960 to 1962. It was notable for its unique "living board game" concept. Monty Hall served as host ("the Mayor"). The format reappeared as a Saturday-morning kids' show, "Shenanigans," on ABC from 1964 to 1965, hosted by Stubby Kaye.

The 2025 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts awards ceremony will take place this Friday at Gotham Hall in New York City. For complete details about tickets, please contact the 2025 Giants of Broadcasting Event Producer at debbie@giantsofbroadcasting.org or (732) 245-7799.

#QSLfriday This Cleveland, Ohio, radio station was known as WKYC from 1965 to 1972. The station first carried the call letters WTAM from 1923 to 1956. The station re-adopted the WTAM call letters in 1996 to reinforce the station's position on the AM band. #otr

Before SNL Made Late-Night TV Cool, Horror Hosts Made It Scary Fun These late-night horror hosts weren’t just introducing monster movies—they were inventing a whole new kind of TV.

"In the 1950s, many local stations simply signed off at midnight or filled their schedules with live wrestling and stock car races. That changed in 1957, when Universal’s Screen Gems released its “Shock” package of classic horror films." latenighter.com/features/bef...

Just dropped: Two new episodes of "Chachi Loves Everybody," an original podcast featuring Rick Dees, internationally syndicated host of "The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown," and Gary Sandy, acclaimed actor known for his iconic role on "WKRP in Cincinnati." To listen, visit: bit.ly/ChachiLovesE...

#GameShows Alan Thicke hosted the game show "Pictionary" (top) in syndication during the 1997-98 television season. A similar show, "Win, Lose or Draw" (bottom), premiered in 1987 and aired in both syndication and on NBC. The syndicated series, hosted by Bert Convy, ran until 1990.

The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation and the Broadcast Education Association Unveil Grant Initiative to Preserve Broadcast History radioink.com/2025/11/03/l... via
@radioink

The 2025 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts awards ceremony will take place next Friday at Gotham Hall in New York City. For complete details about remaining tickets, please contact the 2025 Giants of Broadcasting Event Producer at debbie@giantsofbroadcasting.org or (732) 245-7799.

A Peek Inside ... Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Maryland. From student protest photos to the flag of Syrian independence, staffers share objects with meaning. (Also Halloween decorations.) today.umd.edu/a-peek-insid...

#QSLfriday In 1965, WINS underwent a radical (at the time) format change. It became the third radio station in the United States to adopt all-news programming, implementing the new format around the clock.

#GameShows Family Feud's original run from 1976 to 1985 aired on ABC and in syndication, with Richard Dawson as host. The series was revived in 1988, airing on CBS and in syndication. Dawson returned as host from 1994 to 1995.

The series was revived in first-run syndication in 1999.

Anchor and Managing Editor of ABC World News Tonight, David Muir, and ABC News Radio National Correspondent, Steven Portnoy, will be honored during the 2025 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts awards ceremony in New York on Friday, November 14. tvradiolibrary.org/giants-2025