The Robert L. Coe papers include biographical materials, radio licenses, correspondence, writings, teaching notes and awards. Inclusive dates are from his birth in 1902 to his death in 1975, with some material donated to the Library in 1985 by his wife, Michelle Coe.
Of special significance in this collection is the unfinished manuscript for the book Coe was writing, A Saga of American Broadcasting, based on his own experiences. However, upon Coe's death, only the first 12 of 20 chapters were completed. A collection of class teaching notes, used by Coe as a professor of Communications at the University of Ohio, follows closely the structure of the manuscript, and is useful in identifying other historical broadcasting details.
Photographs from this collection, housed in the library's photographic archives, provide an interesting glimpse into the early days of American television. A focus of the collection is the early days of WPIX, in New York City, where Coe was vice president and general manager. Included are photos of Coe with Gloria Swanson and Bing Crosby.
Audio recordings associated with Coe, housed in the library's audio holdings, include an interview highlighting his career, as well as a number of broadcasts with which he was associated.
Of related interest is the book written by his wife, Michelle Coe. Entitled How to Write for Television, a copy of this book is in the library's reference library.
The collection is open for research use.
Coe started in broadcasting at age 15, in 1917, and spent the next six decades in the field. In such cases it is extremely difficult to draw clear distinctions between an individual's personal and professional life; consequently, the materials relating to important events in Coe's life are integrated chronologically with documentation of important events in his career. Coe's professional activities coincided with significant developments in radio and television, events which Coe himself helped shape; the documents and other materials in this series reflect Coe's various contributions to the broadcasting field.
Operator's licenses issued to Coe by the Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission cover the early years of Coe's professional life. Also included in this series are records pertaining to Coe's military service between 1941 and 1945, when he designed a communication system for the China-Burma-India theater of the war.
Business correspondence between Coe and WPIX-TV, documenting his acceptance of the vice president and manager positions at the television station, relate to events later in Coe's career. A scrapbook is being prepared for microfilming.
Correspondence between Michelle Coe and various acquaintances following her husband's death, much of which pertains to Robert Coe's unfinished manuscript, forms part of this series. Correspondence pertaining to Coe's involvement as a board member of the Broadcast Pioneers Library of American Broadcasting is included in this series.
Artifacts relating to Coe's life and professional career are housed separately. Included is the log book for Coe's first radio station, 9AON and 9ZV. Later in his career, Coe was active in organizations dealing with training and professional development within the broadcasting field; two diplomas from the Institute of Radio Engineers reflect these activities.
Coe's contributions to the field of broadcasting resulted in awards and other forms of special recognition from his peers. Several of these awards are housed with the collection. Of interest is an award from his colleagues at ABC-TV, and a plaque nominating Coe as a member of the "Society of Television Pioneers." Ohio University also honored Coe's accomplishments with an award, located among the artifacts. (See also photographic and audio holdings.
Coe communicated through the written as well as the spoken word, contributing material to several articles, and authoring other works himself. Included in this series is material relating to the reports he co-authored.
Coe prepared extensively for his lectures when teaching at Ohio University. His detailed lecture notes provide an overview of the American broadcasting field. Of special interest is the unfinished manuscript for the book Coe was in the process of writing at the time he died, A Saga of American Broadcasting, a history of the American broadcasting industry based on Coe's personal experiences.
Photographs and audio materials form an important part of this collection. For purposes of providing greater accessibility as well as increased archival stability, these sensitive materials are stored separately. The photographs, including pictures of Coe with Bing Crosby and Gloria Swanson, are housed in the Library's photographic archives.
The audio materials, including tapes of "Day is Done," "Madam & Eve," and other programs with which Coe was associated are located in the Library's audio holdings. An interview with Coe is also included in this material. The audio collection is searchable via our web site's audio database on our Audio page.
Robert L. Coe Papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.
Robert L. Coe Papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries. http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/4928 Accessed January 22, 2025.
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