The Library of Congress has obtained the archives of radio and TV ad innovator Tony Schwartz.
“Considered a master of the electronic media, Tony Schwartz changed the face of radio and television advertising by creating socially conscientious campaigns such as the nation’s first anti-smoking ad, which led the tobacco industry to voluntarily stop advertising on television and radio,” the library stated.
Schwartz was a sound documentarian, producer, author and teacher. His works will be housed at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation.
“A complete compilation of Schwartz’s work from 1947 to 1999, the collection parallels the growth of modern audio technology and the broadcast industry by documenting American life and culture during the latter half of the 20th century,” it stated.
Among his innovations, Schartz “adopted audio tape technology while it was in its infancy in the late 1940s, and over the next 55 years he assembled a vast collection of audio-visual materials.”
He is well known for the “Daisy” television spot for Lyndon Johnson’s presidential campaign.
The collection includes recordings of his radio program, which he produced for 27 years on New York stations WBAI and WNYC; political campaign ads for radio and television; and recordings and videos of 15,000 radio and television ads.