About the Radio History Society (RHS)
and
The Radio & Television Museum
Mission
The Radio & Television Museum, governed by the Radio History Society (RHS), seeks to educate the public about the history and impact of radio and television technology and broadcasting, through the Society's efforts to collect, preserve, and interpret radio and television artifacts, programming, and publications, starting with the dawn of radio.
The Radio & Television Museum
RHS's museum is located at 2608 Mitchellville Road in Bowie, MD (at the corner of Mitchellville and Mt. Oak Roads, approximately 1.3 miles south of the junction of Mitchellville Rd. and Rt. 197). The museum is open to the public Fridays from 10 to 5, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., and at other times by appointment. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. Special tours are available during the week upon request, and senior citizen groups, Girl and Boy Scouts, and school groups regularly enjoy these tours. The museum is affiliated with the City of Bowie's family of museums. For a map, check the RHS website at www.radiohistory.org. The first floor of the museum is fully accessible, but exhibits on the second floor involve stair climbing. Check with the museum for more information regarding accessibility for those with disabilities.
The museum features seven rooms of exhibits that trace the history of radio and television technology from the dawn of the 20th Century to about 1960. Visitors can see hundreds of rare artifacts, including a nearly 100-year old de Forest Audion tube, a Marconi spark transmitter similar to that on the Titanic, crystal sets of the 1920s, magnificent floor model radios of the 1930s, plastic sets of the 1950s, early transistor radios, typical television sets of the 1940s and 50s, and more. Visitors can view early television programs on restored television sets and with the click of a mouse, listen to any one of approximately 37,000 radio programs from the golden age of radio. From time to time the museum arranges special exhibits at other locations. RHS has changing exhibits on the ground floor of the George Washington University's Media and Public Affairs Building, across the street from the Lisner Auditorium. Additional exhibits are in place at the Library of American Broadcasting at the University of Maryland.
RHS Activities
RHS members receive Dials and Channels, a quarterly journal with researched articles about radio and TV history, and from time to time, scholarly monographs on radio and television history. Special events, e.g., book signings and “Ed Walker Day” are held at the museum.
The Museum Library
RHS has a growing library of technical books, radio and television service data, magazines, radio transcription disks, and other media. This collection is currently stored at several locations. A major portion of the collection came from the Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club, which maintained an extensive library of radio service material before donating it all to the museum. The library also includes the complete archives of the National Radio Institute. Washington DC-based NRI ceased operations, but during nearly a century of operation, trained vast numbers of radio and television technicians.
Historians and students can arrange access to these materials. A listing of the more than 4000 books in the RHS library as well as our extensive journal holdings can be found on the museum’s website (www.radiohistory.org). Where else can one find factory service data on 1920s radios, or find videotapes and DVDs of 1950s television shows?
RHS History
The Radio History Society (RHS) is a non-profit Maryland corporation established in 1993. RHS has IRS 501(c)(3) status (hence memberships and donations of money or artifacts are tax deductible). RHS began when the Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club formed a committee to explore the creation of a radio museum. A decision was made to form a separate non-profit corporation for the express purpose of creating a museum.
During its first years of operation, RHS mounted temporary exhibits at The George Washington University and a longer-term exhibit at City Place Mall in Silver Spring, Maryland. Then RHS began efforts to raise funds and develop plans for a permanent museum. Early in 1999 RHS reached agreement with the City of Bowie, Maryland, to rent the Harmel House, a 1906 historic farmhouse owned by the City. The Radio-Television Museum opened to the public in June 1999 and has been enjoyed by a steady stream of visitors ever since.
RHS's enthusiastic membership is growing. The permanent collections of the Museum are also growing as people donate radios, television sets, memorabilia, books, magazines, and broadcasting ephemera. Visitors are amazed at the size of the collection and the quality of the artifacts.
RHS Support
RHS is supported by membership dues, donations, and grants. If you share our interest in preserving radio and television history, become an RHS member! An application blank can be found in the Museum Brochure.
Museum Executive Director:
Brian Belanger
5730 Avery Park Drive
Rockville, MD 20855-1738
Home Phone: (301) 258-0708
Fax: (301) 947-3338
Email: radiobelanger@comcast.net