Museum of Broadcast Communications to Temporarily Close in Response to COVID-19
Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications will close its doors to the public at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 and remain closed until further notice.
“We have been closely following developments as the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation evolves,” said David Plier, chairman of the museum’s board. “True, the risk still remains low at this time, but we want to be proactive and we know we can do our par...t by implementing social distancing—a recommended strategy for reducing person-to-person infection.”
Private groups tours will continue at the discretion of all parties. During the remaining hours the museum is open, staff will continue taking safety precautions, including enhanced cleaning and limiting the numbers of visitors into the museum at any given time. The museum will also review the feasibility and postponement of any other upcoming public programs for the next 30-45 days.
“We think it vital as a Chicago institution that we do whatever we can,” said Susy Schultz, executive director. “And we will follow the recommendations coming from the CDC and the State of Illinois task force regarding this matter.”
Knowing that the schools are moving to online education as a result of the pandemic, the museum will also be accelerating the release of its online curriculum for “The Great Debates,” which examines the impact of the broadcast industry on the campaign for the presidency. It was scheduled to be released when the exhibit opens this summer, but that will be moved up to early April. This curriculum for 6th through 12th graders corresponds to the Common Core and is designed to be an overlay module for civics, social studies, current events or history classes. The nonpartisan curriculum promotes news and media literacy, critical thinking and Civic engagement.
