Video killed the radio star: Obama’s YouTube ‘radio address’

I started the morning like I usually do: with a visit to Gmail, Facebook, and YouTube. I’m not the only one. A lot of people start their day by visiting their social networking site of choice, checking their e-mail and going to see what’s happening in the wacky world of YouTube. So many do this, it turns out, that President-elect Barack Obama decided to put his weekly “radio address” on Youtube instead of public radio, to the chagrin of radio journalists everywhere.

Susan Stamberg of NPR argues:
“If radio was good enough for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it should certainly be good enough for the president-elect. What is he thinking?”

While I respect Stamberg’s opinion, I would like to remind her that we are in different times. The age of the Internet has changed how we get information: FDR didn’t have Google, YouTube or Facebook/Myspace. For his time period, radio was his best option to reach the people.

“What was he thinking?” Obama was probably thinking about all the money his campaign raised via the Internet. He raised $150 million in September alone, much of it from Internet contributions. He has to keep in touch with that Internet-savvy demographic because that’s who he owes much his success to, and that’s who he can count on to shell out $5 and $10 if he decides to keep raising money online for various causes throughout his presidency. That adds up to millions of dollars at his fingertips.

Stamberg continued:

“There are so many advantages to radio. But one of the main ones is you can’t fool around on it. You can’t fake it. You cannot fake sincerity. People hear that voice and they know if it’s telling truth, if it’s speaking with conviction, it if means what it says. [On] television, you put on makeup … it’s so distracting.”

Well, there is some truth to that. But some might argue that with video you can look someone in the eyes as well as hear their voice, so this is obviously arguable both ways.

I agree that there are downsides to YouTube broadcasting. For instance, now that he’s going to be president, Obama has to reach out to everyone — not just those who can afford Internet access. Let’s not forget that the Internet, while prevalent, is still is a luxury. Frequent access to it entails owning a computer and paying for Internet service, which can get pricey. Especially if you live in a low-income area in the inner city, like I do, where people cut phone lines to harvest their copper and you have to resort to air cards, which can set you back about $70 a month.

Andrea Seabrook, who was interviewing Stamberg on the topic, went as far as to say: “I am disappointed with the first decision of the president-elect.”

While I wouldn’t go that far, I do wonder: Couldn’t he could do both? Video and radio each have their merits. What about a video of the president giving his traditional radio address? That way, Obama can stay true to his Internet roots while still pleasing the radio diehards.