Washington, Dec. 9 : Viewership for President-elect Barack Obama''s weekly YouTube "fireside chats" has tanked, dropping more than 50 percent since his initial video three weeks ago.

"I''ve heard a lot of puffed-up rhetoric about how this is going to change the face of politics and how it''s going to be FDR''s fireside chats. The data doesn''t back it up," said David Burch, marketing manager for TubeMogul, which tracks YouTube video views.

The first video address, released four weekends ago, drew 789,868 viewers over its first three days and is nearing a million total, according to TubeMogul''s figures. But the second video was viewed 451,077 times in three days, Thanksgiving weekend''s video garnered 152,222 views, and this weekend''s fourth installment had about
370,000 views as of Monday evening.

The drop in viewership levels from Obama''s campaign to the transition is being regarded as inevitable.

Since he is no longer a candidate, but a president in waiting, Obama has to strike a balance that ensures that his appeal does not wane.

Obama''s campaign didn''t immediately have a comment on the numbers. But members of his new-media team, speaking at a symposium in New York last week, said the difference between a candidate and a president is affecting how the Web site is run. (ANI)