It’s amazing to me how certain traditions span time, somehow retaining their relevance and resilience.
Take the “Fireside Chat,” for example. Pictured above, FDR started this unique communication device early in his first term in 1933 when America was in the throes of “The Great Depression.” The President intuited that radio could be an incredibly effective medium for a leader tasked with calming down a country wracked with fear and anxiety.
FDR would go on to give 29 more of these intimate talks with his millions of constituents over the next 11 years, called at the time as “a revolutionary experiment with a nascent media platform.”
They worked famously, not just for a president tasked with turning an entire country around but also for the first electronic medium, already in many living rooms and soon to end up in car dashboards, keeping Americans company at home, at work, and on the road.
Presidents have changed a lot since the 1930s and so has broadcast radio. But the elements in place back then that worked so well for a new president and a fledgling medium are still in place today.
All Americans would cherish a U.S. President who laid out his programs calmly and clearly in a personal way. And radio still has the ability to help wise and compelling communicators connect with listeners in an intimate one-to-one way.
It has always struck me as interesting that to this day, convention planners use the term “fireside chat” to describe one-to-one interviews with famous and compelling guests. They really aren’t all that similar to what FDR innovated, but we get the idea.
And similarly, radio has become a ubiquitous term to connote a live, seamless one-to-many conversation between a speaker and an audience. What made radio a powerful medium in the 1930s hasn’t changed in the 2020s.
It’s what we made of it.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Huge! One to one communication is what makes Radio Great!
While Roosevelt predates most of us working in radio today, it’s hard not to be impressed by how he instinctively “met the audience where they were.” And did it brilliantly and clearly.
So true Fred, and so well stated. . You have laid out a sales meeting here. Our one to many USP remains in tact.
Indeed, Milt. Always great to hear from you.
People I’ve talked to in the past few weeks are confused and concerned as to what’s going on. It’s more than evident that a “fireside chat” or two with the current administration would benefit most everyone in the country. FDR’s approach was perfect for the time. Today, I would think that while the clouds whirl in Washington, the mist needs to separate for the general public to have a good idea of what’s happening(!).
It is remarkable, Dave, that we have super-sophisticataed communication technology – superior in every way to what FDR had in the 1930s. And yet, nobody knows what the hell is going on.