The Weekly Address of the President of the United States (also known as the Weekly Radio Address or Your Weekly Address) is the weekly discussion of current events and education of important issues by the President. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to deliver such radio addresses. Ronald Reagan revived the practice of delivering a weekly Saturday radio broadcast in 1982,[1] and his successors have all continued the practice.
As the Internet became mainstream, the weekly address was made available on other media. George W. Bush introduced an audio podcast feed and Barack Obama introduced a weekly video address during his presidential transition period.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt first began radio addresses as Governor of New York. As president he continued the tradition, which he called his fireside chats. The success of these presidential addresses encouraged their continuation by future presidents.
During a sound check prior to the radio address in August 1984, the then-President Ronald Reagan made the following gaffe as a way to test the microphone: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."[2]
Barack Obama used YouTube for regular video addresses as President-elect[3] and since his inauguration the weekly addresses have continued on the White House website[4], YouTube, and several major television networks.
It has long become customary for the President's Weekly Radio Address to be followed by a "response" (not always a topical response) by a member of the opposing political party. A common complaint about the President's Weekly Radio Address is that only a few radio stations cover the very short broadcasts, they are not advertised publicly, and very few Americans know how to locate the President's Weekly Radio Address on the radio dial (so very few listen to it).
| Wikisource has several original texts related to: Transcripts of U.S. Presidential weekly addresses |