Page 59 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States

48
FAMOUS
affairs media; to be more knowledgeable about politics; to have more EPISODES
interest
in, and participate more in, election campaigns; to express greater trust in the
government; and to have greater admiration for political leaders.
SOURCES: Steven H. Chaffee, Jack M. McLeod, and Daniel Wackman, "Family Com-
munication Patterns and Adolescent Political Participation," in Jack Dennis, ed., So-
cialization and Politics: A Reader, 1973; Jane Meadowcraft, "Family Communication
Patterns and Political Development: The Child's Role," Communication Research, Au-
gust 1990.
Kim A. Smith and Milena Karagyazova

FAMOUS EPISODES. See Spiro T. Agnew; Bush-Rather Interview; Daisy
Commercial; Democratic Convention of 1968; "Dewey Defeats Truman"; Gre-
nada Invasion; Gary Hart; Huey Long; Joseph McCarthy; Panama Invasion;
Persian Gulf War; Scopes Monkey Trial; Clarence Thomas; Truman Firing of
MacArthur; Watergate.

FDR AND RADIO. Franklin Delano Roosevelt used radio to manage national
and international news and provide peace of mind for millions of Americans
during his presidency from 1933 to 1945. Using what the press called "fireside
chats," Roosevelt managed to discuss news with his listeners on a personal
level. He used folksy language and an informal style to talk to the American
public about the important issues of the day. Historians' estimates of the number
of fireside chats range from 27 to 31 in the slightly more than 12 years he was
in office. The words "fireside chat" originated in a CBS press release written
by Harry Butcher prior to Roosevelt's second broadcast. The term captured the
imagination of the press and the public.
The broadcasts were normally delivered in the evening, and more than a third
were on Sundays, allowing for a "one-two rhetorical punch." His chats would
be heard that night and covered by the newspapers the next day. Roosevelt's
radio success was, in large part, because of his voice quality. His voice was
described as "golden," "rich," and "melodious." Roosevelt was said to inspire
confidence through his voice alone. He achieved a feeling of genuine concern
and intimacy among his listeners, calling them "my friends" or "my fellow
Americans." He spoke using at least 75 percent of the thousand most commonly
used words and slowed his speech to about nine-tenths the speed of most ex-
ceptional speakers. FDR used radio to relay good news to the nation, to provoke
thought among his listeners, and to boost morale in times of national crisis.
SOURCES: Russell D. Buhite and David W. Levy, eds., FDR's Fireside Chats, 1992;
Betty Houchin Winfield, FDR and the News Media, 1990.
J. Sean McCleneghan and Churchill L. Roberts

FESTINGER, LEON (1919- ) was a psychology professor at Stanford when
he developed the theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance theory