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Welcome to the National Capital Radio and Television Museum

We are located in Bowie, Maryland, just thirty minutes from the US Capitol. The Museum has collection of vintage radios and televisions, as well as an extensive collection of related literature, artifacts, and media. The Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to the preservation of radio and television history.

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We offer guided tours on Friday (9-4) and Saturday and Sunday (12-4) and by appointment. Our tours are interactive.

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The Museum is looking for volunteers to serve as docents. There are several other volunteering opportunities, as well.

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Upcoming Events

Current Exhibits

Gallery 1: Wireless Beginnings

  In the late 19th century, inventors and experimenters sought to send telegraph signals without the use of wires. They used the term “wireless telegraphy” (or simply wireless) to describe sending Morse Code (dots and dashes) through the air. Once wireless telegraphy was shown to be feasibl...

Gallery 2: Birth of Broadcasting

  Walking into the first upstairs gallery brings the visitor to exhibits about the inception of radio broadcasting. A handful of radio stations begin to offer a planned schedule of programs—mostly music with some talks—in 1920. They were typically on the air but an hour or two in the evenin...

Gallery 3: Radio Comes of Age

  Our second upstairs gallery highlights important radio developments in the late 1920s. Radio receivers became items of well-designed furniture, often in handsome wooden cabinets. And for the first time they could be plugged in, avoiding the need for cumbersome batteries. They were far easier ...