Author: Jocelyn Coffin
Are you ever craving that episode of the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which you haven’t seen in years? Or that one Super Bowl ad you forgot about until a conversation with a friend? The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills is the perfect place to satisfy an urge for watching some of television’s most prized media.
Founded by William S. Paley in 1975 as The Museum of Television & Radio, the Center aims to preserve media with a collection of almost 150,000 programs, including public affairs programs, news, documentaries, children’s programming, sports, comedy, variety shows, commercial advertising and performing arts programs with footage from over 70 countries, all of which are available to the public.
The facility, with its modern façade, houses screening rooms known as “Scholar Rooms,” where both media aficionados and researchers can watch any program made available by the Center. With computer access to the library’s database and audio and visual monitors for viewing, the equipment at the Center easily fulfills the desires of any television addict.
Even still, don’t fear the daunting task of dealing with the seemingly ancient microfiche clippings files accessible at the Center; a group of smiling research assistants will gladly help you utilize the Center’s archives to their fullest extent.
As a recent project, the Center has sought to recover lost media with the aim of studying our culture and the links between media and society. To date, the Center has recovered programs such as Super Bowl III, a Rat Pack benefit variety show and James Dean performances.
By preserving elements of popular culture, the Center is helping people recognize the importance of media and its tremendous influence on society and way of life. The study of media is extremely relevant to the field of anthropology and the Center helps to support the cultural cause. The disappearance of media records could one day lead to a loss of understanding of a generation.
With the help of the media community on its side, the Center successfully preserves these fundamental resources. Various experts and donors are very involved in the continuing development of the Center and the preservation of media. With the help of such powers, the Center has a wide variety of resources to turn to for both programing and equipment.
While visiting the Center for amusement is a great weekend activity, the facility is also an excellent resource for students in the Los Angeles area. The viewing rooms are available for use Wednesdays to Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m. The newsreels in particular may be extremely useful for students in a variety of fields. In the archives one might find a broadcasting on scientific research, or news coverage from the Vietnam War – great primary resources for any research paper. The opportunities are endless. Making the most of this resource means exploring the numerous uses the Center provides and the infinite source work it supplies.
The Center’s monthly calendar features numerous appealing events, helping to connect the Los Angeles community to the media that is ever prevalent in our daily lives. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, make your way out to the Center to meet, in person, the writing staff of vampire fan favorite, “True Blood.” Later, on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m., you have the chance to meet up with one of the most dramatic teen casts of all time, the ones who started it all – the cast of “Dawson’s Creek.”
Television fanatics and students alike can enjoy the many wonders of the Center. Head out to the Paley Media Center to satisfy your TV cravings and give in to a blast from the past. There, you can indulge your intellect in news footage from the 1960s or watch the beloved Eric Matthews of “Boy Meets World” scream Mr. Feeney’s name over and over again.
Worried the Center might not have what you are looking for? Check out www.paleycenter.org and direct yourself to “The Collection Advanced Search” to tour everything the Paley Center has to offer.
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