In previous presidential administrations, particularly since the advent of television, American presidents have been able to address a large majority of the public by "roadblocking" the networks during the time they speak; that is, all three networks broadcast presidential addresses simultaneously. In recent administrations, particularly in the Reagan administration, network ratings for presidential addresses have declined dramatically. In an effort to discover (1) how much presidential ratings have declined in the past 18 years, (2) whether the decline has been greater or lesser than the decline of overall network ratings, and (3) whether televised presidential speeches draw viewers or drive them away, a study was conducted using Nielsen ratings during the Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations. Findings show that not only have prime time ratings dropped, from 79 percent for Ford and Nixon to 61 percent for Reagan, 25 million viewers in Reagan's administration defected to other programing during prime time addresses. Moreover, prime time viewer decline for presidential addresses was far steeper than for overall network audience decline. It is not clear whether the decline is due to public political apathy, a greater number of entertainment choices (i.e., cable television), or other causes, but it is possible that the number of presidential addresses that are televised could be lessened due to economic infeasibility. (JC)