Abstract
The first presidential radio address in United States history was delivered by President Warren G. Harding on June 14th, 1922. He delivered a speech in Baltimore, MD and it was broadcasted by WEAR (now WFBR). Perhaps more historic than this was the first official radio address delivered in 1921 regarding the recent election results. Equally important was the first annual address delivered by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923. This innovation established a continuing tradition of regularly scheduled addresses that were meant to inform the public about the President's agenda. However, it was not until the year 1933 that the official presidential weekly radio address was truly popularized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR captivated the nation with his famous fireside chats that were delivered during nights, when families often gathered around the radio and could afford to spend some time actively listening to the presidential messages. Ever since then, U.S. presidents have given weekly addresses, though some (Nixon, Ford, Carter, H. Bush) chose to engage themselves in the tradition less than others (Reagan, Clinton, W. Bush). Nonetheless, presidents have realized the strategic potential of radio ever since the end of WWI, when the industry was officially commercialized and the market first began to flourish from coast to coast. It is plausible that radio will one day be rendered obsolete by the proliferation of the Internet and increasing reliance on television news, but these are topics that will discussed later in light of the research I have conducted.
