Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications will reopen this fall with Johnny Carson, late night TV exhibits
Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications announced Thursday that it will reopen in a new location this fall near the Ogilvie Metra station with exhibits on Johnny Carson and the evolution of late night TV.
The museum, which first launched in 1982, has been without a physical home since it was booted from its River North location in the spring of 2023 when a commercial development firm bought the space. Now, the museum will reestablish itself in a pop-up location at 440 W. Randolph St. beginning on Oct. 24.
The opening aligns with the 100th anniversary of Johnny Carson’s birth and the 75th anniversary since the late night talkshow format took hold. The exhibitions arrive in a moment when the future of that format is in question. Last month, CBS announced it would cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” following the upcoming season.
“I think the taste for late night programming is changing. We have so many different options. You can throw on Netflix or Apple Plus, whatever it may be,” said David Plier, the museum’s president and CEO. “Late night might not be as important for the next generation, because what we used to watch on Letterman and Leno and Johnny …They can get it all day long on their phone for the most part.”
After looking at nearly 30 locations, Plier said he found a landlord who was willing to make the museum an affordable offer. “We found a great partner in wanting to bring the museum back to life in this location and breathe some life into Randolph and Canal,” Plier said.
He said it's a good time to look back and celebrate the format with a tribute to Carson, the “King of Late Night,” whom he called “a national institution whose humor and curiosity united Americans.” Carson hosted The Tonight Show for an astounding 30 years from 1962 to 1992 and at his peak, averaged 17 million nightly viewers, according to the New York Times.
“The Johnny Carson Centennial” exhibit will feature portions of Carson’s original curtain and a replica of his iconic stage, which hosted many of the biggest stars of the 20th century. “We'll have a really great collection of memorabilia,” Plier said.
A complementary exhibit, “A Journey Through 75 Years of Late-Night,” will explore the contributions of hosts from Jack Paar to David Letterman, Arsenio Hall, Joan Rivers, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.
The exhibitions are slated to remain open until January 2027. The museum will be open Wednesdays-Sundays. Admission will be $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and military members, $16 for students and free for kids ages 6 and under.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.