Transition Watch Modernizing the presidential radio address

The move by Barack Obama to make the presidential weekly radio address on current address available on YouTube.com—as well as use that medium for major announcements—is one of the clearest examples yet of how the Internet is poised to become the major communications conduit for the next administration, according to the Washington Post. The address will still be broadcast on radio, as it has for decades since FDR started the practice. But it also will be available in video format on YouTube, as well as a download available through Apple Inc.’s iTunes store.

The change is expected to elevate the weekly radio address from what Obama aides call a “blip on the radar” to a major newsmaking event, the Washington Post reported.