NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a chat show on Twitch

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had fireside chats. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a Twitch stream.

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Mamdani, whose ascent to City Hall was fueled in part by a savvy digital media strategy, plans to launch a livestream series called “Talk with the People” on Thursday afternoon, his office said. The series will originate on Twitch, a livestreaming service popular among video gamers, but it will also be available on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other major social platforms.

“With the launch of ‘Talk with the People,’ we’re bringing City Hall directly to the platforms where New Yorkers already spend their time,” Mamdani said in a statement.

“By hosting the country’s first recurring cross-platform stream led by an elected official, where New Yorkers can ask questions live on Twitch, we’re opening up a new conversation between government and the people it serves, especially younger generations who have too often been ignored,” he said.

Mamdani’s show illustrates one of the realities of the modern media environment: Politicians can reach constituents and voters directly through social media channels and do not necessarily need to rely on intermediaries such as broadcast or cable news. Mamdani has drawn attention for his energetic use of social platforms and nontraditional media.

Twitch first rose to prominence as a platform where video gamers could livestream themselves, but it has since expanded to encompass other interests, including politics. It is closely associated with Hasan Piker, a progressive political commentator.

The idea was first proposed by a member of the mayor’s digital team with his staff “workshopping it for about a month,” a senior aide to the mayor, speaking on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the plans, told NBC News.

This person said Mamdani was “gung ho” about the project when presented with the proposal. Mamdani, this person said, is “relatively new” to Twitch but has watched streamers on the platform who play the FIFA video game and discuss soccer.

“It’s going to be a little different every time,” this person said of the program. “The idea is that we keep it dynamic within a regular framework.”

The senior official said the show will take on various formats, suggesting the mayor may sometimes appear alone, other times with aides, city workers or other streamers. One of the biggest challenges will be making sure the mayor can host the live show every other week at the same time, this person said.

“The main challenge is just getting on his schedule, but I think there are definitely going to be tough days where maybe he’s going to get asked questions that he doesn’t necessarily want to answer,” this person said. “Part of the job of being mayor is still having to be in front of your constituents every single day.”

“The world is the limit,” this person added. “The point is that he’s out there regularly talking to people about what’s going on in the city.”

Mamdani teased the debut of “Talk with the People” on X, posting a photo of himself seated in front of microphones bearing the logos of popular social apps alongside a photo of Roosevelt delivering one of his famed radio addresses. “5.21.26. 4:10PM. Live,” Mamdani wrote.

The title of Mamdani’s new series was inspired by a 1940s radio broadcast hosted by New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. LaGuardia’s Sunday broadcast “Talk to the People” premiered in January 1942 and ran until he left office in December 1945, according to the U.S. Library of Congress .

LaGuardia used “the most cutting-edge technology of his era to break through traditional gatekeepers and connect with working people across the city,” Mamdani’s office said in a news release. “Today, Mayor Mamdani is building on that legacy for a new generation.”