    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [March 17, 1996]
    [Pages 470-471]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Opening of the Los Angeles Branch of the Museum of
    Television and Radio
    March 17, 1996

        Let me say that I'm very sorry I couldn't be with you in person
    tonight. But I am delighted to be here by satellite to open the Los
    Angeles branch of the Museum of Television and Radio. Hillary and I send
    our best wishes to all of you, and we know we have an awful lot of
    friends among you tonight.
        I'm speaking to you from the White House's historic library which
    actually has something in common with the museum. Even though many of
    the books that fill this room were written long before we ever heard a
    voice over the radio or saw a face on the screen, all three mediums
    serve much the same purpose. They enable us to communicate, to pass
    along ideas, stories, histories, reports from one person to another, to
    get a feel for the times. And that's why your museum is so important,
    for radio and television are truly witnesses to our century.
        Among the 75,000 programs available are President Franklin
    Roosevelt's ``fireside chats,'' which helped to pull our Nation through
    the Depression and the Second World War. There's footage of the triumph
    of man's first steps on the Moon, a record of our civil rights
    struggles. And having just returned from the Middle East, I am
    especially sensitive to the fact that you have footage of President
    Sadat and Prime Minister Begin and later of the historic handshake
    between Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Rabin. You also have footage
    of the tragedy of President Kennedy's assassination. But I'm also told
    there are even a few lighter moments reserved for ``I Love Lucy'' and
    ``Happy Days'' and ``Seinfeld.''
        This museum is a tribute not only to radio and television but
    especially to the men and women who pioneered them and who made the most
    of their infinite potential. Some of our country's greatest creative
    talents have dedicated their lives to writing, directing, and producing
    radio and TV shows. And some of our greatest talents are still engaged
    in that important work. This museum honors them too.
        The Museum of Television and Radio is doing nothing less than
    preserving our historical and cultural legacy for the future. Through
    its screening and listening devices, the seminars,

    [[Page 471]]

    the classes, the museum plays an important role as it enhances people's
    understanding of the craft and the creativity of these two media and how
    they've had an impact on our lives. Using the same satellite technology
    that allows me to join you this evening, the museum is able to take its
    education programs to a national audience, particularly through its
    University Satellite Seminar Series, which reaches college students all
    across our Nation.
        I know many of you in attendance have been instrumental in giving us
    the gift of radio and television. Let me thank you for that gift which
    touches millions of Americans every day. And I want to thank you, too,
    for the gift of the Museum of Television and Radio, first in New York
    and now in Los Angeles. It's a great gift to the American people. You
    have created a significant cultural institution.
        I congratulate you, I thank you, and I wish you well this evening.
    Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke by satellite at 10:40 p.m. from the Library at
    the White House.