Construction and Opening of Museum Building
The planned museum had delays in its development resulting from a fiscal stalemate with the state of Illinois. It was originally scheduled to open in Spring 2005 and later in 2009, but its half-completed building was then slated to be sold due to lack of funds, which CEO Bruce DuMont blamed on lack of state funds. On November 7, 2009, DuMont announced that funding for the museum from the state of Illinois had been obtained and that construction would be restarted.
In June 2010, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn stated that Illinois would be giving a $6 million capital grant to help complete the museum. The new 62,000-square-foot Museum was back under construction in 2010. It includes expanded areas for collection development, two exhibit galleries and working radio and television studios. In May 2011, made a deadline by the state of Illinois to finish basic interior work and landscaping. Because of cold weather, the museum had been given a 30-day extension on an original April 30 deadline.
The museum reopened in the new building on June 13, 2012. The pre-opening ceremony included such notable guests as actors John Mahoney and Betty White, and newscaster Hugh Downs.
Read more about this topic: Museum Of Broadcast Communications
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