Here was a President in complete command of the medium–engaging, stalwart, respectful, and altogether confident that his hosts, the American people, who’d invited him into their homes, would join him in tackling the issues at hand.
That these talks became known as “Fireside Chats” is easy to understand in listening to the March 12th broadcast. Griffith’s Hollywood sat rapt before their sets as the President spoke with them, not at them. Those who might normally be tuning into programs such as the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra or D.W. Not a distant or aloof leader speaking down to his subjects, FDR opened his remarks with “my friends,” and proceeded to engage listeners on terms that made sense to them. FDR had already begun to fashion his radio style through statewide addresses to the citizens of New York during his gubernatorial years, 1932. He would join them by radio in their homes, after dinner, and speak frankly, in plain terms, about the crisis and and his Administration’s efforts to stabilize the financial system and move forward. And he would come to them not in the formal setting of an inauguration or a conference, but in a more personal manner. He would speak directly to the American people over the airwaves about the banking crisis. This week marks the 88th anniversary of FDR’s first “Fireside Chat.” Though not identified as such on March 12, 1933, the President’s address to the nation marked a key moment in his new Administration. Harris, Deputy Director With water at the ready and microphones arrayed before him, the President prepares for a radio address, 1934.
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