History Radio / TheWarOfTheWorlds

This incredibly innovative broadcast is the TropeMaker for DeadlineNews, PhonyNewscast, ThisJustIn, WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties, and WeInterruptThisProgram.

* NewMediaAreEvil: It seems that newspapers [[http://books.google.ca/books?id=GeWm-zM3NEoC&lpg=PP1&dq=Little+Green+Men,+Meowing+Nuns+and+Head-Hunting+Panics:&pg=PA219&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false embellished the facts to make radio look bad]].[[note]]Embellishing the facts just to sell papers was typical, especially for Hearst papers. They used huge scare headlines and lurid, often grossly exaggerated, tabloid-like narratives. This caused rumors which then spread to other papers and radio news.[[/note]] Latter-day research has found that the number of people who were taken in by the faux-news format [[http://www.csicop.org/sb/show/shootout_with_martians_in_the_wake_of_the_1938_broadcast_panic wasn't as high as previously thought]]. And [[https://www.amazon.com/Broadcast-Hysteria-Orson-Welless-Worlds-ebook/dp/B00OFID7TE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= those who did believe it mostly reacted rationally]]. The "mass panic" reported in the press, with thousands fleeing the city, simply didn't occur, although some individual incidents -- like the woman who ran into the Indianapolis church to announce the "end of the world"[[note]]This happened in several other cities as well.[[/note]] -- were verified. It wasn't the streets that were jammed with terrified believers -- it was ''phone lines,'' especially to police and to family in other areas, as they immediately sought to verify before taking any other action. Letters and telegrams have been found from people who had indeed believed it, many ''congratulating'' Welles on his ingenuity. To sum up, about six million people listened, and about a million of them, however briefly, believed it was real.
** A. Brad Schwartz in his ''Broadcast Hysteria'' book says that newspapers were actually getting ''more'' popular with radio's ascension: "if anything, broadcast journalism increased the American appetite for the printed variety." He thinks the surveys and reports immediately following the broadcast were done by people who were convinced there really had been "mass panic" and tweaked their survey findings to support that view.
** However, the Quito broadcast in 1949 infamously caused outraged citizens to riot upon finding out that the broadcast wasn't real. The radio station was burned down and seven people were killed.

* In 1998 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNhodx4Oxbk&t=12s 97 Rock in Buffalo staged their own version]]. Needless to say, the broadcast included several disclaimers reminding the audience that it was pure fiction to prevent what happened in 1968 from happening again.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zzEGD1ESr8 an updated version by WKBW]] in Buffalo, New York in 1968.

* [[https://historyradio.org/2017/01/21/the-war-of-the-worlds-in-ecuador/ in 1949 in Quito, Ecuador]] by director Leonardo Páez - this attempt also had the cooperation of Quito's local newspaper, as they were both owned by the same company. For a few days before the event, they planted small stories in the paper about unusual phenomenon being observed on Mars. The result was incredible - the invasion story was believed on a massive scale. When the deception was revealed, those fooled turned angry and set fire to the building that housed both the newspaper and radio station. Emergency responders did not arrive until much later - because they had been dispatched to the out-of-the-way location of the supposed alien landing. Six people died (including Páez's girlfriend) and many more were injured, either in the fire, trying to escape the fire, or at the hands of an angry mob. Páez managed to escape unharmed, but he effectively became a wanted man and left the country, never to return.

* [[http://www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk/war_worlds_quito.htm in 1949 in Quito, Ecuador]] by director Leonardo Páez - this attempt also had the cooperation of Quito's local newspaper, as they were both owned by the same company. For a few days before the event, they planted small stories in the paper about unusual phenomenon being observed on Mars. The result was incredible - the invasion story was believed on a massive scale. When the deception was revealed, those fooled turned angry and set fire to the building that housed both the newspaper and radio station. Emergency responders did not arrive until much later - because they had been dispatched to the out-of-the-way location of the supposed alien landing. Six people died (including Páez's girlfriend) and many more were injured, either in the fire, trying to escape the fire, or at the hands of an angry mob. Páez managed to escape unharmed, but he effectively became a wanted man and left the country, never to return.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-oTTyGOkIg an updated version by WKBW]] in Buffalo, New York in 1968.

As the on-air "reporters" breathlessly described large alien tripods emerging from the cylindrical "meteorites" and commencing to destroy the American countryside with heat-rays, many listeners believed that an actual AlienInvasion was taking place, and thus a nationwide panic ensued... or so the UrbanLegends say, at least. Later research indicates there was little to no actual panic and the [[https://slate.com/culture/2013/10/orson-welles-war-of-the-worlds-panic-myth-the-infamous-radio-broadcast-did-not-cause-a-nationwide-hysteria.html breathless reports that ran in the next day's newspapers]] were an attempt by said newspapers to sell more copies, while discrediting radio as a medium --see NewMediaAreEvil below. However, the story's more complex than that. What people believed, and continue to believe, ''about'' the broadcast is as important as the idea that people believed the broadcast itself. The legend of this program has become part of American folklore.

When Creator/OrsonWelles needed to come up with a HalloweenEpisode for the October 30, 1938 broadcast of his Creator/{{CBS}} radio program ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', he decided to adapt Creator/HGWells's 1898 novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' to a contemporary American setting. Rather than presenting a straight radio play like all of the previous ''Mercury Theatre'' broadcasts, for this episode the program started out as what seemed like a regular night of dance music, [[WeInterruptThisProgram until reports began to come over the air of strange explosions on the surface of Mars... followed by reports of a meteorite landing in rural New Jersey...]]

* a 50th anniversary edition on Creator/{{NPR}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIeYnoutthU in 1988]], directed by Radio/FiresignTheatre alumnus David Ossman, and starring Jason Robards as Prof. Pierson.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-oTTyGOkIg an updated version by WKBW]] in Buffalo, New York in 1968
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXTEUM4OF7Q WKBW again in 1971]]
* a 50th anniversary edition on Creator/{{NPR}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIeYnoutthU in 1988]] (directed by Radio/FiresignTheatre alumnus David Ossman, and starring Jason Robards as Prof. Pierson)
* a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffB29LYR5Go 1994 revival on KCRW]] in Los Angeles - featuring a nearly all ''Franchise/StarTrek'' cast, including Creator/LeonardNimoy as Prof. Pierson, Gates [=McFadden=] as reporter [[GenderFlip Carla Phillips]], and Creator/DwightSchultz, Creator/ArminShimerman, Creator/BrentSpiner and Creator/WilWheaton in various roles - and directed by John de Lancie.
* a 2002 version on XM Satellite Radio (starring Radio/GlennBeck).

When Creator/OrsonWelles needed to come up with a HalloweenEpisode for the October 30, 1938 broadcast of his Creator/{{CBS}} radio program ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', he decided to adapt Creator/HGWells's 1898 novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' to a contemporary American setting. Rather than presenting a straight radio play like all of the previous ''Mercury Theatre'' broadcasts, for this episode the program started out as what seemed like a regular night of dance music, [[WeInterruptThisProgram until reports started to come over the air of strange explosions on the surface of Mars... followed by reports of a meteorite landing in rural New Jersey...]]

As the on-air "reporters" breathlessly described large alien tripods emerging from the cylindrical "meteorites" and setting about destroying the American countryside with heat-rays, many listeners believed that an actual AlienInvasion was taking place, and thus a nationwide panic ensued... or so the UrbanLegends say, at least. Later research indicates there was little to no actual panic and the [[https://slate.com/culture/2013/10/orson-welles-war-of-the-worlds-panic-myth-the-infamous-radio-broadcast-did-not-cause-a-nationwide-hysteria.html breathless reports that ran in the next day's newspapers]] were an attempt by said newspapers to sell more copies, while discrediting radio as a medium --see NewMediaAreEvil below. However, the story's more complex than that. What people believed, and continue to believe, ''about'' the broadcast is as important as the idea that people believed the broadcast itself. The legend of this program has become part of American folklore.

When Creator/OrsonWelles needed to come up with a HalloweenEpisode for the October 30, 1938 broadcast of his Creator/{{CBS}} radio program ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', he decided to adapt Creator/HGWells's 1898 novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' to a contemporary American setting. Rather than staging a regular radio play like all of the previous ''Mercury Theatre'' broadcasts, for this episode the program aired what seemed like a regular night of dance music, [[WeInterruptThisProgram until reports started to come over the air of strange explosions on the surface of Mars... followed by reports of a meteorite landing in rural New Jersey...]]

By the time large alien tripods emerged from the cylindrical "meteorites" and began destroying the American countryside, many listeners believed that an actual AlienInvasion was taking place, and thus a nationwide panic ensued... or so the UrbanLegends say, at least. Later research indicates there was little to no actual panic and the [[https://slate.com/culture/2013/10/orson-welles-war-of-the-worlds-panic-myth-the-infamous-radio-broadcast-did-not-cause-a-nationwide-hysteria.html breathless reports that ran in the next day's newspapers]] were an attempt by said newspapers to sell more copies, while discrediting radio as a medium --see NewMediaAreEvil below. However, the story's more complex than that. What people believed, and continue to believe, ''about'' the broadcast is as important as the idea that people believed the broadcast itself. The legend of this program has become part of American folklore.

The incident was dramatized in "The Night America Trembled", a 1957 episode of ''Westinghouse Studio One'', and ''The Night That Panicked America'', a 1975 MadeForTVMovie co-starring Creator/JohnRitter; and touched upon in feature films like ''Film/RadioDays'' (1987) by Creator/WoodyAllen. Two episodes of Music/{{Negativland}}'s weekly KPFA radio happening ''Over the Edge'', helmed by master culture jammer Don Joyce, focused on the program as an example of "[[https://archive.org/details/OTE_20060518_How_Radio_Was_Done_3_-_WOTWW How Radio Was Done]]" (2006) and a 1999 examination of how we discern [[https://archive.org/details/OTE_19990200_True_and_False true from false]] information in modern life. It was analyzed in a [[http://www.radiolab.org/story/91622-war-of-the-worlds/ hysterically funny episode]] of NPR's ''Radiolab'' in 2008, talking about the power of mass media and humanity's need for storytelling. The historical events and situations that set up this incident are described in PBS' 2013 ''[[Series/TheAmericanExperience American Experience]]'' episode "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1iLFp6XyPY The War of the Worlds]]". There's more in A. Brad Schwartz's 2015 book ''Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles' War of the Worlds & the Art of Fake News''.

* a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffB29LYR5Go 1994 revival on KCRW]] in Los Angeles - featuring a nearly all ''Franchise/StarTrek'' cast, including Creator/LeonardNimoy as Prof. Pierson, Gates [=McFadden=] as reporter [[GenderFlip Carla Phillips]], and Dwight Schultz, Armin Shimerman, Brent Spiner and Wil Wheaton in various roles - and directed by John de Lancie.

By the time large alien tripods emerged from the cylindrical "meteorites" and began destroying the American countryside, many listeners believed that an actual AlienInvasion was taking place, and thus a nationwide panic ensued... or so the UrbanLegends say, at least. Later research indicates there was little to no actual panic and the [[https://slate.com/culture/2013/10/orson-welles-war-of-the-worlds-panic-myth-the-infamous-radio-broadcast-did-not-cause-a-nationwide-hysteria.html breathless reports that ran in the next day's newspapers]] were an attempt by said newspapers to sell more copies, while discrediting radio as a medium --see NewMediaAreEvil below. However, the story's more complex than that. What people believed, and continue to believe, ''about'' the broadcast is as important as the fact that people believed the broadcast itself. The legend of this program has become part of American folklore.

By the time large alien tripods emerged from the cylindrical "meteorites" and began destroying the American countryside, many listeners believed that an actual AlienInvasion was taking place, and thus a nationwide panic ensued... or so the UrbanLegends say, at least. Later research indicates there was little to no actual panic and the [[https://slate.com/culture/2013/10/orson-welles-war-of-the-worlds-panic-myth-the-infamous-radio-broadcast-did-not-cause-a-nationwide-hysteria.html breathless reports that ran in the next day's newspapers]] were an attempt by said newspapers to sell more copies, while discrediting radio as a medium --see NewMediaAreEvil below. However, the story's more complex than that. What people believed and continue to believe ''about'' the broadcast is as important as the fact that people believed the broadcast itself. The legend of this program has become part of American folklore.

By the time large alien tripods emerged from the cylindrical "meteorites" and began destroying the American countryside, many listeners believed that an actual AlienInvasion was taking place, and thus a nationwide panic ensued... or so the UrbanLegends say, at least. Later research indicates there was little to no actual panic and the [[http://mssv.net/realityart/wotwemails.html breathless reports that ran in the next day's newspapers]] were an attempt by said newspapers to sell more copies, while discrediting radio as a medium --see NewMediaAreEvil below. However, the story's more complex than that. What people believed and continue to believe ''about'' the broadcast is as important as the fact that people believed the broadcast itself. The legend of this program has become part of American folklore.

--->This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen. Out of character, to assure you that ''The War of the Worlds'' has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be; the ''Mercury Theatre''[='=]s own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying, "Boo!" Starting now, we couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the best next (''sic'') thing: we annihilated the world before your very ears and utterly destroyed the CBS. You will be relieved, I hope, to learn that we didn't mean it, and that both institutions are still open for business.\\
So goodbye, everybody, and remember, please, for the next day or so the terrible lesson you learned tonight: that grinning, glowing, globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin patch, and if your doorbell rings and nobody's there, that was no Martian; it's Halloween.

By the time large alien tripods emerged from the cylindrical "meteorites" and began destroying the American countryside, many listeners believed that an actual AlienInvasion was taking place, and a nationwide panic ensued...or so the UrbanLegends say, at least. Later research indicates there was little to no actual panic and the [[http://mssv.net/realityart/wotwemails.html breathless reports that ran in the next day's newspapers]] were an attempt by said newspapers to sell more copies, while discrediting radio as a medium --see NewMediaAreEvil below. However, the story's more complex than that. What people believed and continue to believe ''about'' the broadcast is as important as the fact that people believed the broadcast itself. The legend of this program has become part of American folklore.

\\

When Creator/OrsonWelles needed to come up with a HalloweenEpisode for the October 30, 1938 broadcast of his Creator/{{CBS}} radio program ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', he decided to adapt Wells's 1898 novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' to a contemporary American setting. Rather than staging a regular radio play like all of the previous ''Mercury Theatre'' broadcasts, for this episode the program aired what seemed like a regular night of dance music, [[WeInterruptThisProgram until reports started to come over the air of strange explosions on the surface of Mars... followed by reports of a meteorite landing in rural New Jersey...]]

--->This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen. Out of character, to assure you that ''The War of the Worlds'' has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be; the ''Mercury Theatre''[='=]s own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying, "Boo!" Starting now we couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the best next (''sic'') thing: we annihilated the world before your very ears and utterly destroyed the CBS. You will be relieved, I hope, to learn that we didn't mean it, and that both institutions are still open for business.\\

** And at the conclusion of the broadcast:

When Creator/OrsonWelles needed to come up with a HalloweenEpisode for the October 30, 1938 broadcast of his Creator/{{CBS}} radio program ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', he decided to adapt Wells's 1898 novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' to a contemporary American setting. Rather than staging a regular radio play like all of the previous ''Mercury Theatre'' broadcasts, for this episode the program aired what seemed like a regular night of music, [[WeInterruptThisProgram until reports started to come over the air of strange phenomena on the surface of Mars... followed by reports of meteorites landing in locations across America...]]

When Creator/OrsonWelles needed to come up with a HalloweenEpisode for the October 30, 1938 broadcast of his Creator/{{CBS}} radio program ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', he decided to adapt Wells's 1898 novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' to a contemporary American setting. Rather than staging a regular radio play like all of the previous ''Mercury Theatre'' broadcasts, for this episode the program aired what seemed like a regular night of music, [[WeInterruptThisProgram until reports start to come over the air of strange phenomena on the surface of Mars - followed by reports of meteorites landing in locations across America...]]