Paley Center for Media, American archive of radio and television programs, and forum for the discussion of the role and evolution of electronic media; opened 1976 in New York City as the Museum of Broadcasting, renamed 1990 the Museum of Television and Radio, present name adopted 2007. The center is in effect the first public library devoted to the electronic media, but in addition it sponsors discussions of issues impacting the media. There are three criteria for adding a program to the center's collection: excellence, historical significance, and social impact. A west coast branch, which duplicates the New York branch's entire collection of more than 140,000 television and radio programs and commercials, was opened in Beverly Hills, Calif. in 1996.

Media, ancient country of W Asia whose actual boundaries cannot be defined, occupying generally what is now W Iran and S Azerbaijan. It extended from the Caspian Sea to the Zagros Mts. The Medes were an Indo-European people who spoke an Iranian language closely akin to old Persian. Some scholars claim they were an Aryanized people from Turan. Since there are no Median records, Assyrian and Greek sources must be relied upon for Median history. The Medes extended their rule over Persia during the reign of Sargon (d. 705 B.C.) and under Cyaxares captured Nineveh in 612 B.C.; they were the first people subject to Assyria to secure their freedom. The dynasty continued until the rule of Astyages, when it was overthrown (c.550 B.C.) by Cyrus the Great and united with the Persian Empire. In the 2d cent. B.C. Media became part of the Parthian kingdom and was later ruled by the Romans.

Ancient country, Middle East. It was situated in present-day northwestern Iran and was home to the Medes, an Iranian people. In 625 BC Cyaxares united the area's tribes into a kingdom. In 614 BC he captured Ashur and later defeated the Assyrian empire and seized territory in Iran, northern Assyria, and Armenia. In 550 BC it became part of the new Persian Achaemenian dynasty under Cyrus II. Alexander the Great occupied it in 330 BC. In the partition of his empire, southern Media was given to the Macedonians and then to the Seleucids; northern Media became the kingdom of Atropatene, which passed to Parthia, Armenia, and Rome. In 226 BC the whole of Media passed to the Sāsānians, another Persian dynasty.

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