The majority of the Rick Ludwin Collection focuses primarily on NBC TV primetime and late-night programming beginning in the 1980s through the 1990s, with several items from more recent years, as well as subseries devoted to topics such as "The Mike Douglas Show," WLS-TV Chicago, Bob Kennedy, WXYZ-TV Detroit, Miami University and more. Items in the collection include:

Included in the collection are historical narratives of broadcast radio and television and the history of NBC, including various mergers and acquisitions over the years. Other special interests highlighted by this collection include:

Nineteen original Seinfeld scripts are included; most of which were working copies, reflecting the use of multi-colored pages to call out draft revisions. Notably, the original pilot scripts are included, which indicate that the original title ideas for the show were "Stand Up," and later "The Seinfeld Chronicles." Furthermore, a signed copy of the table draft script for the show’s finale is also included in this collection. Other scripts are also contained here--some for primetime, some for broadcast specials such as the landmark three-hour broadcast of SNL’S 25th Anniversary. Several of the scripts include hand notes, presumed to be those of Rick Ludwin.

Other documents in this collection are industry-specific, including program development reports, annual independent seasonal reviews covering all major networks, ratings reports, etc. There are also several awards program catalogs from a variety of events ranging from the Emmys to the 23rd American Film Institute Life Achievement Award--presented to Steven Spielberg.

Also included are books commemorating the 15th and 20th anniversaries of The Comedy Store, which opened its doors on the Sunset Strip in 1972. These provide biographical and anecdotal information and several photographs of the people who continue to impact a broad sector within the American entertainment industry.

A variety of other materials are also included in this collection. This includes a large amount of materials related to television programs where Ludwin worked as a producer earlier on in his career, including “The Mike Douglass Show,” “Kennedy & Co.” and “Kennedy at Night.” Plus, there are a number of recordings of “Studio 14,” a variety show that Ludwin worked on when he was a student at Miami University, plus recordings of lectures he gave at the university in later years.

Additional industry related monographs in this collection are cataloged within the Miami University Libraries' collections. The monographs can be located using a keyword search for "Rick Ludwin" in the online catalog.

All items in this collection are organized chronologically within series.