ABSTRACT
RECENT presidents have supplemented their power and prestige through direct, almost automatic, access to the commercial television networks. Not only has the use of presidential television increased presidents’ visibility and allowed them to present their message unfiltered to the American people, but it has tilted the executive-legislative balance further toward the presidency and away from Congress (Minow, Martin, & Mitchell, 1973). The most formidable tool of presidential television has been the presidential address, followed by news conferences and carefully engineered media appearances. Radio has been viewed by presidential publicists as a purely secondary medium, a mere accompaniment to its more glamorous offspring. Thus it was somewhat surprising that President Reagan turned to network radio in 1982 for what was to become the longest regular, sustained use of broadcasting by a president in American history.
