[Exhibition Opening] “On the Air: 50 Years of Public Broadcasting”

Saturday, June 24

View opening day photos!

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On Saturday, June 24, 2017, the LBJ Presidential Library celebrated the exhibition opening of On the Air: 50 Years of Public Broadcasting with free admission for all.

Exhibition opening day family-friendly activities included:

• The opportunity to meet and greet and take photos with Walkaround Elmo
• Performances of Barnyard Boogie, a disco-style musical revue, by the Small Wonders Puppet Theater
• A Cookie Monster cookie giveaway
• A drawing for a chance to attend an Austin City Limits TV taping and to take a behind-the-scenes tour

About the exhibition

Fifty years ago this year, on Nov. 7, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and, eventually, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and National Public Radio (NPR). The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the steward of federal funding that supports nearly 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations.

The On the Air: 50 Years of Public Broadcasting exhibition examines the cultural legacy of the Public Broadcasting Act by highlighting the classic television shows and radio programs of PBS and NPR. Several iconic artifacts from beloved programs are featured, including:

• Sesame Street puppets (Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and Count von Count)
• Mister Rogers' sweater and sneakers
• An original painting by Bob Ross, the host of The Joy of Painting
• Veneered wood autoharp used by Garrison Keillor on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion
• A copy of Julia Child's Master the Art of French Cooking cookbook with a personal inscription to Lady Bird Johnson

There are also opportunities to take photos with the Sesame Street puppets as well as in front of iconic Sesame Street backdrops. We invite you to share your photo with us on social media using the hashtag #LBJOnTheAir!