‘War of the Worlds’ Broadcast in Its Entirety Halloween Night

Halloween night, get ready for the broadcast of the original "War of the Worlds" in its entirety!

War Of The Worlds Original Radio Broadcast

The original radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, narrated by Orson Welles, will play this Halloween night at 8 PM.

Don't forget, you can listen live anywhere with the Classic Rock 105.1 app, and also live at classicrock1051.com.

The War of the Worlds radio broadcast remains famous for its impact and is often cited as an example of the power of mass media to influence public perception and cause mass hysteria.

It is also a testament to the storytelling and production skills of Orson Welles and his team. It has since become a landmark moment in the history of radio broadcasting and is often studied in communication and media courses.

First airing on October 30, 1938, the adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel of the same name has become famous (or infamous) for the supposed mass panic that it caused. This is disputed, though, because there were actually very few listeners.

The first two thirds of the one-hour broadcast was presented as a series of simulated news bulletins, which suggested an actual alien invasion by Martians was currently in progress. Compounding the issue was the fact that the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a sustaining show without commercial interruptions, adding to the program’s realism. Popular legend holds that some of the radio audience may have been listening to Edgar Bergen and tuned in to 'The War of the Worlds' during a musical interlude, thereby missing the clear introduction that the show was a drama, but recent research suggests this only happened in rare instances.

Be sure to catch the broadcast in its entirety this Halloween night at 8 PM on Classic Rock 105.1!