Top 10 Amazing Facts about FDR’s First Fireside Chat (1933)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt Broadcasting his First Fireside Chat Regarding the Banking Crisis, from the White House, Washington, D.C. Wikipedia

Top 10 Amazing Facts About FDR’S First Fireside Chat (1933)

The fireside chats were a series of evening radio addresses given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, between 1933 and 1944. Roosevelt spoke with familiarity to millions of Americans about recovery from the Great Depression, the promulgation of the Emergency Banking Act in response to the banking crisis, the 1936 recession, New Deal initiatives, and the course of World War II.

The term “fireside chat” was inspired by a statement by Roosevelt’s press secretary, Stephen Early, who said that the president liked to think of the audience as a few people seated around his fireside.  

  Here are the top 10 amazing facts about FDR’S First Fireside Chat (1933);

1. President Franklin  D. Roosevelt gave his  first national radio address

On March 12, 1933, eight days after his inauguration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives his first national radio address—or “fireside chat”—broadcast directly from the White House. He explained why he had decided to close the nation’s banks to stop a surge in mass withdrawals by panicked investors worried about possible bank failures. The banks would be reopening the next day, Roosevelt said, and he thanked the public for their “fortitude and good temper” during the “banking holiday.”

2. Roosevelt was sitting next to a fireplace when he addressed via radio broadcast

But on March 12, 1933, the day before banks were set to reopen, it wasn’t clear that these emergency measures had done enough to calm the public’s fears. That evening, at 10 pm Eastern time, Roosevelt addressed the nation via radio broadcast, directly from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House. (Yes, he was sitting next to a fireplace.)

Reporter Harry Butcher of CBS coined the term “fireside chat” in a press release before one of Roosevelt’s speeches on May 7, 1933. The name stuck, as it perfectly evoked the comforting intent behind Roosevelt’s words, as well as their informal, conversational tone.

3. The fireside chats were among the first 50 recordings to be made part of the National Recording Registry

The series of chats were among the first 50 recordings made part of the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, which noted it as “an influential series of radio broadcasts in which Roosevelt utilized the media to present his programs and ideas directly to the public and thereby redefined the relationship between President Roosevelt and the American people in 1933.” The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that “are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.” 

4. It was the first time in history  that  a large segment of the population listened to the chat

NBC microphone used for Roosevelt’s fireside chat radio broadcasts, By Sage from New York, Wikipedia

The radio historian John Dunning wrote that “It was the first time in history that a large segment of the population could listen directly to a chief executive, and the chats are often credited with helping keep Roosevelt’s popularity high.

5. The chat became a source of hope and security for all American

Although the chats were initially meant to garner Americans’ support for Roosevelt’s New Deal policies, they eventually became a source of hope and security for all Americans. The chats were influential in reformulating the American worldview from one of despair to one of hope during a time of multiple crises, including the Great Depression and World War II.

6. The fireside chats strengthen the importance of broadcast media

Fireside chats reinforced the importance of broadcast media and the use of common, everyday language when addressing the American people. In general, broadcasting is an electronic transmission of radio and television signals that are intended for general public reception, as distinguished from private signals that are directed to specific receivers.

7. Roosevelt understood the importance of the radio

Radio press at fireside chat (September 3, 1939), By Harris & Ewing, photographer –Wikipedia

 Through the Fireside chats, Roosevelt eventually understood the importance of radio as a medium and he used it to pressure the New York state legislature during his governorship from 1928 to 1932. As president, he set up “informal chats” to convey the success of his policies via radio to the American people. He regarded these broadcasts as instruments of public education in national affairs as well as a way of enlisting support for his program.

8. The fireside chats used as simple language

An important characteristic of Roosevelt’s fireside chats was the simple language he used. Even though Roosevelt’s New Deal policies were often quite complex, his chats used common language to construct the radio address as an informal conversation between himself and the American public. The content of the chats moved from bolstering Roosevelt’s New Deal policies to discussing various aspects of America’s involvement in World War II. 

9. They outlined the New Deal Program

Fireside chat on the merits of the recovery program (June 28, 1934), By Harris & Ewing, photographer, Wikipedia

The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. The program included new constraints and safeguards on the banking industry and efforts to re-inflate the economy after prices had fallen sharply. New Deal programs included both laws passed by Congress as well as presidential executive orders during the first term of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The program also focused on what historians refer to as the “3 R’s”: relief for the unemployed and the poor, recovery of the economy back to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression.

10 The fireside chats regarded Roosevelt as an effective communicator

On radio, he was able to quell rumors, counter conservative-dominated newspapers and explain his policies directly to the American people. His tone and demeanor communicated self-assurance during times of despair and uncertainty. Roosevelt was regarded as an effective communicator on radio, and the fireside chats kept him in high public regard throughout his presidency.