Radio, Politics and

Politics was well suited to radio when the new broadcast medium first began to develop national audiences. The first radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, KDKA, broadcast the results of the 1920 presidential elections. Warren Harding soon began using the radio for political addresses, giving his 1923 State of the Union Address on radio. Political events, such as the national party conventions of both Republicans and Democrats in 1924, were among the first major productions to attract a broad national audience.

Calvin Coolidge also made use of radio in his communications with the American people, but it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who became the pre-eminent radio communicator. FDR's fireside chats began in 1933 and continued through 1945. FDR's resonant and commanding voice offered hope and encouragement to ...