Biden brings back Presidential address with new podcast-like format

One of the smaller, yet important changes in White House’s functioning after President Joe Biden entered office is the return of the weekly address from the United States President. However, like many things to have changed since the last four years, the new administration wants to do things differently this time around, according to reports.

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Instead of the traditional weekly address, the White House has planned a new format, according to a report by Slashgear. In order to appeal to younger audiences, the ‘podcast’ format is likely to be adopted, in quite a stark departure from the previous US Presidents. However, it is not surprising that the Biden team has started to adopt modern digital technologies - the campaign itself followed several trends, like Biden’s debut at Animal Crossing.

Those concerned that the new format will not be to their liking, can rest assured that it will not be the only way that the weekly address will be delivered. Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, said that these ‘chats’ will include traditional presidential addresses as well along with others that were more casual in nature, according to the report. The first address already included a one-on-one with a California resident, Michele Voelkert, who spoke to Biden about her efforts to get hired again after being laid off last year.

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Podcasts are constantly gaining in popularity with each passing month, with the informal chat format a hit among users both young and old. Companies like Spotify and Apple Music are slowly moving to consolidate their podcast offerings - Spotify recently ‘acquired’ Joe Rogan’s podcast, which means it will eventually become a Spotify exclusive. Meanwhile, Twitter has also acquired Breaker, while Apple has begun highlighting deserving podcasts as part of its podcast spotlight.