Electronics: The War of the Worlds Broadcast and Communications Theory

The War of the Worlds Broadcast and Communications Theory

The invention of the telegraph showed society what was possible with communications technology. It also meant that we would want to test these possibilities and keep reaching for more. Guglielmo Marconi is generally credited as the inventor of radio. Marconi worked on converting radio waves from the telegraph to communication, by building the first radiotelegraphy system. On 27 July 1896, in the UK, Marconi successfully demonstrated his wireless telegraphy system by sending a signal between two Post Office buildings.

Before radios received widespread popularity, they were primarily used by the military to exchange messages with the armed forces in real time, without the need for physical messengers. After World War I, small stations began operating using technologies that had developed during the war. Many of these stations developed regular programming that included religious sermons, sports, and news.

Civilians began purchasing radios for private use. Radio was not only the only electronic medium, but it was most families' primary source of entertainment, information, sports reports, and political programming. Many shows featured popular actors who acted out dramas live on radio. It was common for families in many households to gather around the radio to listen to their favorite shows. Like eating meals together, radio listening was an important tradition that brought families together.  In the larger U.S. society, while the country struggled with economic depression and a potential new war, radio broadcasts provided a reliable and comforting source of distraction.

It was against this backdrop that Orson Welles’ radio adaption of H.G. Wells’s science-fiction tale The War of the Worlds was aired.

The War of the Worlds

 In 1938 Welles’s radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’s science-fiction tale The War of the Worlds created panic when listeners failed to hear the disclaimer and believed Martians actually were invading Earth.

The program's format was a simulated live newscast of developing events. The first two-thirds of the hour-long play is a contemporary retelling of events of the novel, presented as news bulletins interrupting programs of dance music. Said Welles, "I had conceived the idea of doing a radio broadcast in such a manner that a crisis would actually seem to be happening." He added, it "would be broadcast in such a dramatized form as to appear to be a real event taking place at that time, rather than a mere radio play" (Wikipedia).

An estimated 6 million people listened to the show, with nearly two million believing it to be true.

 Impact of The War of the Worlds Broadcast.

Immediate

Some listeners called loved ones to say goodbye or ran into the street armed with weapons to fight off the invading Martians of the radio play. (Lubertozzi & Holmgren, 7-9)

In Grovers Mill, New Jersey—where the supposed invasion began—some listeners reported nonexistent fires and fired gunshots at a water tower thought to be a Martian landing craft. One listener drove through his own garage door in a rush to escape the area. Two Princeton University professors spent the night searching for the meteorite that had supposedly preceded the invasion. Lubertozzi and Holmsten also noted that as calls came in to local police stations, officers explained that they were equally concerned about the problem. (Lubertozzi & Holmgren)

Even though the extent of the panic may be questioned, it is safe to say that the broadcast did cause some panic.  Although the story of the War of the Worlds broadcast may be funny in retrospect, the event traumatized those who believed the story. Individuals from every education level and walk of life had been taken in by the program, despite the producers’ warnings before, during the intermission, and after the program. This event revealed the unquestioning faith that many Americans had in radio. Radio’s intimate communication style was a powerful force during the 1930s and 1940s.

Perhaps as many as a million radio listeners believed that a real Martian invasion was underway. Panic broke out across the country. In New Jersey, terrified civilians jammed highways seeking to escape the alien marauders. People begged police for gas masks to save them from the toxic gas and asked electric companies to turn off the power so that the Martians wouldn’t see their lights. One woman ran into an Indianapolis church where evening services were being held and yelled, “New York has been destroyed! It’s the end of the world! Go home and prepare to die!”

When news of the real-life panic leaked into the CBS studio, Welles went on the air as himself to remind listeners that it was just fiction. There were rumors that the show caused suicides, but none were ever confirmed.

Long term

The Federal Communications Commission investigated the program but found no law was broken. Networks did agree to be more cautious in their programming in the future.

Three years later, in 1941, Japan launched an attack on Pearl Harbor which effectively dragged the U.S. into World War II. According to journalist, Gerald Nachman, in a 1998 interview, many did not believe the announcement of the attack on Pearl River because of the Martian Landing Hoax (qtd in O’Donnell).

Over 12,500 newspapers over the next several years printed follow up stories about the radio broadcast. Orson Welles and H.G. Wells met to discuss the remarkable broadcast. Welles revealed that Adolf Hitler referred to The War of the Worlds hysteria as evidence of the decadence and corrupt condition of democracy (O’Donnell, 221).

Applying Affordance and Uses & Gratification Theories

We can apply communications theories to the audience’s reaction to the role of radio in society, and the public’s reaction to Welles’ broadcast. The affordance of radio broadcasts was that they provided entertainment, informed, and educated. The perceived value was that they brought families together. There was usually one radio in the house, so everyone gathered around the radio at designated times to listen to their favorite shows.

Welles may have intended to entertain, especially considering that the show was aired on Halloween eve, October 30. And considering the mass appeal of radio, he probably felt it was appropriate. Despite the unintended consequences and not immediately knowing of the impact, Welles said, “I won’t say I won’t follow this technique again, as it is a legitimate dramatic form” (Wellesnet). Here, he was admitting that he now saw a new way in which to use this medium, to evoke other emotions and reactions that might not have been obvious before.

Going by the number of other news outlets that covered the broadcast, we see an evolution in the media landscape. The media now viewed each other as viable news sources, and it was no longer off limits to focus on each other when warranted.

The audience’s unquestioned loyalty would now be assailed by suspicion. As was evident in some people’s reaction to the Pearl Harbor attack, the blind acceptance of everything being broadcast over the radio was over.  This new skepticism was not brought on by choice, but out of a real provocation of their sensibilities.

Listeners Expectations and Actuality.

A significant swath of the listening public had developed an unquestioning faith in radio broadcasts. The intimate style of radio communication meant that broadcasters were, in some cases, seen as an integral part of the family.

A surprising number of people, among them many who had been duped, praised Welles for his theatrical tour de force. Others were more worried that the show would inspire the government to increase censorship of radio programming. Here, we see the growth in awareness of listeners that radio broadcasts offered something more (for better or worse) than they had previously known. Those who were accepting of this new reality in radio, would continue to seek out programming that offered more of it.

How listeners reacted to the broadcast depended, Schwartz shows, on the context of how they heard, or misheard the “news” or if they learned of the “invasion” from others. It was a time, after all, when a real-world war and invasions were distinct possibilities. 

It was noted that real reporters from allegedly bona fide news organizations blew the impact of the broadcast out of proportion, (Schwartz qtd in Holahan). Whether this sensationalism came out of the broadcast, or whether it existed before, it served as a very good example of how the media could be used to manipulate an audience.

Everyone associated with the broadcast – listeners, broadcasters, and observers—now saw the medium differently. In addition to their pre-established relationship with radio broadcasting, they all came away with something new. Whether a new emotion, new delivery tactic, or new possibility, communications technology was forever changed.

Would the overall impact of The War of the Worlds broadcast be significant enough to make wholesale changes in the way audiences related to mass media broadcasts? Only time would tell.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (2019, October 7). The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:19, October 14, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama)&oldid=920032538

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Radio

The War of the Worlds: Mars’ Invasion of Earth, Inciting Panic and Inspiring Terror From H.G. Wells to Orson Welles and Beyond (Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2005), 7–9.