MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) will open its new temporary exhibit, Alabama Radio Moments, at the Museum of Alabama Saturday, Sept. 10. Special family activities and demonstrations are planned throughout the afternoon to highlight the history and technology of radio.
The new exhibit explores ways in which radio influenced the lives of Alabamians in the 20th century – how they learned about current events, enjoyed sports and music and connected with the world beyond their local communities.
Featuring items from the launch of Alabama’s first public radio station through the beginning of the age of television and into the 1970s, the exhibit will highlight Alabamians’ contributions to radio technology and programming the importance of radio to the social and political climate of the era.
Curated and designed by ADAH staff, the exhibit is presented in partnership with the Birmingham-based Alabama Historical Radio Society (AHRS) and features a number of artifacts from the group, as well as Huntsville collector Marc Bendickson and Tuscumbia radio station WZZA.
Alabama Radio Moments will be on view through May 2023.
“Long before the internet and streaming media, radio provided Alabamians with access to the broader world,” said ADAH Director Steve Murray. “From Joe Louis’s thrilling championship matches, to wartime dispatches from overseas, to the cultural transformations of the 1960s, the shared experiences of Americans for most of the 20th century were carried on radio waves. We are grateful to the Alabama Historical Radio Society for making this exhibit possible through the display of its collections, and to Alabama Power Company for its role in helping preserve Alabama radio history.”
On Saturday, Sept. 10, presentations on a variety of radio topics will be offered by members of the AHRS in the ADAH’s Joseph M. Farley Alabama Power Auditorium.
See a list of topics and times below:
- 12:30 p.m. – How Radio Works
- 1:30 p.m. – Early Alabama Radio Stations
- 2:30 p.m. – Theater of the Mind
- 3:30 p.m. – A Radio Show Demonstration
Other family activities will be held throughout the day in the ADAH’s Hands-On Gallery. From 12:30-4:30 p.m. in the ADAH’s second floor lobby, AHRS members will offer a variety of interactive demonstrations including how to build a foxhole radio and how to send Morse code. These events, and many more public programs that will be offered throughout the run of the exhibit, are made possible with the support of the Friends of the Alabama Archives and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
Admission to the opening events and to the Museum of Alabama are free. For more information, call 334-353-4689 or email alex.colvin@archives.alabama.gov.
The Alabama Department of Archives and History is the state’s government-records repository, a special-collections library and research facility, and home to the Museum of Alabama, the state history museum. It is located in downtown Montgomery, directly across Washington Avenue from the State Capitol. The Museum of Alabama is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The EBSCO Research Room is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. To learn more, visit www.archives.alabama.gov or call 334-242-4364.
