At the time of the original broadcast of War of the Worlds, radio was a new growing media platform, providing the public with far better entertainment than most were accustomed to. It had quickly risen in popularity during the late 1920s and early 1930s, with around 60% of America’s households owning radios, in what would be known as the ‘Golden Age’ of radio. Before this time, people solely received their information from newspapers

War of the Worlds was both directed and narrated by Orson Welles and was part of The Mercury Theatre on the Air segment on CBC, which helped target listeners who enjoyed fictional radio theatre and drama.

The program itself was designed like a typical news broadcasts, with orchestral music and fictional news reports that ‘interrupted’ the broadcast to talk about the supposed news of an alien invasion. There were no breaks for advertisements in the first half which added to the authenticity of the broadcast, and at 30:47, the radio falls completely silent, creating an incredibly ominous moment. All these factors had an effect that made it feel realistic towards the audience and The New York Times reported “a wave of mass hysteria” amongst radio listeners.

Many reported reactions of audiences at the time were widely varied and likely exaggerated with some people requiring “medical treatment for shock and hysteria”. The two-step flow model of communication provides some insight into the unfolding of the panic. For example, The New York Times reported how the ‘rumour’ of war “spread through the district and many persons stood on street corners hoping for a sight of the ‘battle’ in the skies”, proving that not everyone who believed the radio play had actually listened to the broadcast and instead heard from people within their social circle.

Radio was popularized in the late 20’s early 30’s. The broadcast happened on Oct 31st 1938.

12M listeners – surveys found that 1 in 12 thought it was true – 1M people

“a “War of the Worlds” reenactment happened in the mountains of Quito, Ecuador, 1949.”

the Chase & Sanborn hour ran alongside the Mercury Theatre at the same time – this show was much more popular which is why most people missed the introduction stating it was fake. They only tuned in after Chase and Sanborn brought on an unpopular singer.

• ‘War Of The Worlds’ was a live broadcast which broadcasted on Columbia broadcasting systems (CBS) on October 30th 1938 8-9pm.
• Producers – Urban Myth Films, Fox Networks Group, Studio Canal.
• The broadcast was based of the book written by H.G Welles in 1898 and aired on the Halloween episode of ‘The mercury Theatre on The Air’. Listeners around the States believed that the broadcast was real and informing the public that Martians had invaded New Jersey, this instilled panic across the country.
• The hypodermic needle theory suggests a media text can have a powerful and immediate effect on the passive audience. It would seem “The War of the Worlds” production supports this argument because so many terrified listeners, for example, “rushed out of their houses” to escape the “gas raid”.
• The episode is famous for inciting a panic by convincing some members of the listening audience that a Martian invasion was taking place, though the scale of panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners.

“The War of the Worlds” was the 17th episode of the CBS Radio series.
news bulletins would make people believe this actually happened.

Essay questions :

1. Explain how Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast used the codes and conventions of radio to convince the audience Martians were invading New York.
2. How do the cultural and historical circumstances affect the audience’s interpretation of media texts? Refer to the Close Study Product War of the Worlds in your answer.
3. Discuss how and why audiences might respond to and interpret media texts differently depending on the social context they are consumed. Refer to the Close Study Product War of the Worlds in your answer.
4. “There is no doubt the media has a profound influence on the audience’s thoughts and behaviour.” To what extent does your analysis of the Close Study Product War of the Worlds support this view?

First, “The War of the Worlds” was aired by Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) – one of only two national broadcasters who were trusted by millions of listeners every day to deliver reliable and impartial news. It is also important to note that CBS frequently interrupted scheduled programmes to inform their listeners of the latest updates from Europe. In the weeks prior to “The War of the Worlds” episode, the network reported on Hitler’s continued occupation Czechoslovakia and the inevitability of another global conflict.

“The War of the Worlds” mixes science fiction tropes with the conventions of radio broadcasts to create a very entertaining narrative. Combining these two elements into a hybrid radio form was a great innovation, but it may have duped some listeners into believing the news bulletins and reports were a true account of the Martian conquest.

The hypodermic needle theory suggests a media text can have a powerful and immediate effect on the passive audience. It would seem “The War of the Worlds” production supports this argument because so many terrified listeners, for example, “rushed out of their houses” to escape the “gas raid”.⁴

About:

‘War Of The Worlds’ was a live broadcast which broadcasted on Columbia broadcasting systems (CBS) on October 30th 1938 8-9pm

The broadcast was based of the book written by H.G Welles in 1898 and aired on the Halloween episode of ‘The mercury Theatre on The Air’. Listeners around the States believed that the broadcast was real and informing the public that Martians had invaded New Jersey, this instilled panic across the country

Radio Conventions

Although the story of interplanetary warfare is typical of the science fiction genre, it was presented within the format of normal evening of radio programming. There appears to be a routine report from the “Government Weather Bureau” about a “slight atmospheric disturbance” along the east coast of America. We are then “entertained by the music of Ramón Raquello and his orchestra” who are playing a tango from the Park Plaza Hotel. Even the “special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News”, which interrupts the music, met the expectations of the contemporary audience.

By incorporating these basic radio codes into the start of the script, it is clear the writers were trying to make the story sound plausible. According to Baudrillard’s simulation theory, this would be the first stage which is a “reflection of reality”.

Baudrillard claims that our current society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs. The simulacra that Baudrillard refers to are the significations and symbolism of culture and media that construct perceived reality, this could be related to Gerberners cultivation theory.

the writers were warned against using the original names by the legal department at Columbia Broadcasting Company because they were worried about the threat of litigation. These changes are very subtle so most listeners would not be able to spot the difference. This blurring of boundaries between fact and fiction could be one of the reasons why members of audience believed aliens were attempting to destroy the human race.

Audience

The New York Times reported “a wave of mass hysteria seized thousands of radio listeners” with some adults requiring “medical treatment for shock and hysteria”. Apparently, “thousands of persons” phoned different agencies “seeking advice on protective measures against the raids”.² The Daily News in New York went with the headline “Fake Radio ‘War’ stirs terror through U.S.”

The hypodermic needle theory suggests a media text can have a powerful and immediate effect on the passive audience. It would seem “The War of the Worlds” production supports this argument because so many terrified listeners, for example, “rushed out of their houses” to escape the “gas raid”.⁴

The cultivation theory can also explain some of the hysteria. Gerbner’s research suggested heavy users of television become more susceptible to its messages, especially if the texts resonate with the viewer.

Even the two-step flow model of communication provides some insight into how the panic unfolded. For instance, a “throng of playgoers had rushed” from a “theatre” because “news” of the invasion had “spread” to the audience. The New York Times also reported how the “rumor” of war “spread through the district and many persons stood on street corners hoping for a sight of the ‘battle’ in the skies”.⁷ Therefore, not everyone who was terrorised by the radio play was actually listening to the broadcast. They heard the rumours from people they trusted in their social circle.

Context

In a radio interview, Orson Welles revealed the preferred reading of the text, saying, “It’s supposed to show the corrupt condition and decadent state of affairs in democracy.”⁸ To fully appreciate why some listeners panicked, we need to consider the historical and social context behind the broadcast. In terms of Stuart Hall’s reception theory and his encoding / decoding model of communication, this is the audience’s framework of knowledge.

First, “The War of the Worlds” was aired by Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) – one of only two national broadcasters who were trusted by millions of listeners every day to deliver reliable and impartial news. It is also important to note that CBS frequently interrupted scheduled programmes to inform their listeners of the latest updates from Europe. In the weeks prior to “The War of the Worlds” episode, the network reported on Hitler’s continued occupation Czechoslovakia and the inevitability of another global conflict.

Of course, Welles exploited the audience’s fear of a foreign power and their weapons of mass destruction. One concerned citizen said, “I knew it was some Germans trying to gas us all but when the announcer kept on calling them people from Mars, I just thought he was ignorant.”⁹

Finally, since radio was a relatively new form of mass communication, it could also be argued that many listeners lacked the media literacy needed to understand “The War of the Worlds” was a pastiche of its codes and conventions. Although Welles argued his format “was not even new” and it might seem like an obvious trick to a modern audience, many of the listeners may not have realised the drama was just entertainment.

Essay Questions:

Essay Questions

1. Explain how Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast used the codes and conventions of radio to convince the audience Martians were invading New York.
2. How do the cultural and historical circumstances affect the audience’s interpretation of media texts? Refer to the Close Study Product War of the Worlds in your answer.
3. Discuss how and why audiences might respond to and interpret media texts differently depending on the social context they are consumed. Refer to the Close Study Product War of the Worlds in your answer.
4. “There is no doubt the media has a profound influence on the audience’s thoughts and behaviour.” To what extent does your analysis of the Close Study Product War of the Worlds support this view?