Reagan starting series of 5-minute radio talks

President Reagan plans to begin a series of 10 five-minute weekly Saturday radio broadcasts on domestic and foreign policy issues, starting this week, a White House aide said.

The first broadcast, on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. Eastern standard time, is expected to deal with the federal budget and Reagan's determination not to compromise on the tax cut. The aide said the radio program will be offered to all of the networks for use by their affiliates.

Mr. Reagan's decision is apparently based on an awareness that his popularity is slipping in the polls and support is diminishing for his programs. The President is a veteran radio broadcaster, dating back to his days as a sportscaster in Des Moines in the early 1930s. In recent years he had a regular series of commentaries on about 200 radio stations.