Changing Channels: How TV Transformed America
May 27, 2007 - February 29, 2008
Walter Cronkite’s announcement that President Kennedy was dead...Lucy and Ethel’s antics on the chocolate assembly line...Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon...Monica and Chandler's wedding...the chilling episodes of Roots. Throughout its 55-plus years of television broadcasting, America has watched TV and TV has watched America. Experience television through the years at Changing Channels: How TV Transformed America, on view May 27, 2007 - February 29, 2008, at the Northern Indiana Center for History. The exhibit is sponsored in part by Villing & Company. 

Bandstand to American Idol, from Sesame Street to Survivor, Changing Channels showcases moments of television that will never be forgotten and explores ways America has changed––and been changed by––the "tube." The exhibit features items that relate to a wide variety of television programs, including news broadcasts, dramas and situation comedies, soaps, variety shows, reality TV, and commercials. A multi-media experience, Changing Channels captures the nostalgia, the technology, and the good, great, unforgettable and “what were they thinking?” moments of television history. Spanning four generations of America, the exhibit provides visitors with a broad perspective, some fun and, most importantly, food for thought about the ever-present contraption that seemingly views us as much as we view it.

As visitors enter Changing Channels they walk through a replica of the set used by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. “It Must Be True: I Saw it on TV” explores how early TV took liberties with history and helped promote common misconceptions about eras and individuals. Here, a variety of genres is shown, including medical, legal and police. The rumpled tan raincoat worn by Peter Falk in Columbo is a don’t miss in the section.

In “We Interrupt This Broadcast,” vintage news broadcasts, including the assassination of President Kennedy, the moon landing, and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, transport visitors to decades past. Nearby, in “Memorable Moments,” visitors can relive the final moments of Cheers as they view the postal uniform of “Cliff Clavens” and “Sam Malone’s” Red Sox jacket. Suits worn by Don Johnson (“Crockett”) and Philip Michael Thomas (“Tubbs”) in Miami Vice are shown in this section, and visitors can ponder the “Who Shot J.R?” episode of Dallas, American Idol’s most recent rising star, and other moments that have marked the American entertainment experience.

“Simmering Below the Surface” examines M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Good Times and other programs that confronted such previously suppressed issues as racism, poverty, homosexuality, and domestic violence. The section showcases 1960s and ‘70s role models like Marlo Thomas in That Girl and Mary Tyler Moore in Mary Tyler Moore. Featuring the pink feather boa worn by JoAnne Worley in Laugh-In and a sweater worn by “Grace Adler” in an episode of Will & Grace, a look at flamboyant moments of TV is also offered here.

In “Growing Along with TV,” Captain Kangaroo’s suit stands near replicas of the 1950s-era Garfield Goose as well as puppets from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Educational programs, kids’ shows and American lifestyles are examined. Both young and old can find a familiar space as they peruse, side-by-side, a girl’s bedroom decorated with a look a la today’s That’s So Raven as well as a boy’s bedroom decorated in a western theme circa 1957. Visitors can learn about the past and future of TV technology in “Stay Tuned.” Even commercials are spotlighted in Changing Channels in “And Now a Word from our Sponsor,” which features well-known national ads through the years as well as TV ads for Robertson’s and other local businesses.

The Center for History is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday, and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $8/general, $6.50/seniors 60+, and $5/youth 6-17. Campus tickets, providing visits to both the Center for History and the adjoining Studebaker National Museum, can be purchased for $12.

For information, call (574) 235-9664.