On January 25, 1961, millions of Americans watched the first live television broadcast of a presidential press conference.
President John Kennedy, who had taken office five days earlier, answered reporters’ questions for about 35 minutes.
This was the first of many press conferences, broadcast live on television, that President Kennedy held during his less than three years in office.
Kennedy, who was 43 when he was sworn in as president, was calm, self-confident and witty in live televised press conferences.
His aides saw these press conferences as a means of familiarizing the American people with Kennedy’s qualities and communication skills. Broadcasts of this kind actually boosted the American president’s popularity.
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