War Of The Worlds Broadcast Hits Idaho Airwaves 87 Yrs Ago
Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio theatre broadcast in the thirties is still considered the greatest on-air prank on the American public ever pulled. It took months of planning and was executed to perfection in October of 1938.
The tale was first printed in book form in 1898 by William Heinemann Publishing, and was authored by famed science-fiction writer H.G. Wells. It told the story of a conflict between humanity and Martians.
The original Welles' radio play aired nationwide on the CBS Radio Network on October 30, 1938, at 8P.M. (ET), as part of the network's Mercury Theatre On The Air segment, according to Fandom. The sixty-minute production panicked Americans from coast to coast as many believed the planet was actually being overtaken by aliens.
Original War of the Worlds Broadcast Aired Nearly 87 Years Ago
I got into radio in 1996 for two reasons. Those reasons were Orson Welles and Art Bell. Next year will be my 30th year on-air, and nothing I'm seeing in this industry will ever rival the Golden Age of Radio, which began in 1920 and lasted for the following three decades.
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Although I still find radio to be marvelous, and the greatest free service Americans will ever have the pleasure of receiving, radio's heyday is lost in the atmosphere forever.
Did you know that Pocatello radio station KSEI broadcasted an alternate version of War of the Worlds back in 1978? It didn't result in mass hysteria or anything, but you've got to give it to them for having some fun and honoring the single greatest thing to ever happen to radio.
To listen to the original Welles broadcast, click here.
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