At Home With FDR Fireside Chat With FDR In the 1930s, the radio was a primary source of information in parlors and tenement kitchens across the country. Look into a Depression-era Lawrence tenement, and listen to President Roosevelt’s April 1935 “Fireside Chat” explaining the WPA. Throughout his presidency, FDR delivered thirty “Fireside Chats,” informal radio addresses meant to reassure the public while building political support. Millions of families around the nation tuned in for these iconic broadcasts.