| Part of Series | Radio Lab |
| Length | 59:00 |
| Licensor | WNYC |
| Producer(s) | Jad Abumrad |
| Formats | Documentary, Limited Series |
| Topics | Entertainment, Historical, Media |
| Produced | February 15, 2008 |
| Added to PRX | January 31, 2008 |
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An examination of the power of mass media to create panic.
Jad Abumrad (Host/Producer), Robert Krulwich (Co-Host), Ellen Horne, Lulu Miller, Tony Field, Rob Christiansen, Sara Pellegrini, Sally Herships
Radio Lab is funded, in part, by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the National Science Foundation.
October 30: Anniversary of Orson Welles original broadcast
Amusing, Contemplative, Sound Rich
English
In Radio Lab's very first live hour, we take a deep dive into one of the most controversial moments in broadcasting history - Orson Welles' 1938 radio play about Martians invading New Jersey. And we ask: Why did it fool people then? And why has it continued to fool people since? From Santiago, Chile to Buffalo, New York to a particularly disastrous evening in Quito, Ecuador.
The Annotated Guide
When Orson Welles decided to make a radio play of the H.G. Well's classic, "War of the Worlds," he had no idea that he would be branded by the FCC as a "radio terrorist." The audience reaction - panic on a mass level never before witnessed - isn't just a testament to Welles talent for gripping drama, it's also a reflection of that moment in history. We take a close look at the way that the evolving news media collaborated with the events in Europe to prime the pump.
Could It Happen Again? (And Again?)
We take an in depth look at a War of the Worlds radio play incident with even more dire consequences. In 1949, when Radio Quito decided to translate the Orson Welles stunt for an Equadorian audience, no one knew that the result would be a riot that burned down the radio station and killed at least 7 people. Reporter Tony Field takes us to Quito to finds out what really happened. But we'd hardly have decided to dedicate an hour to this if it was only a two-time occurence. That's right: it happens again. This time it's in the 1960s in Buffalo, NY. Why does this keep happening? We talk to psychology professor Richard Gerrig who tells us that the answer may have to do with our natural response to stories.
What Were They Thinking?
To get some insight into what would make a person want to fool their audience, we talk to Daniel Myrick. Myrick, with Eduardo Sanchez, made a film called "The Blair Witch Project," which terrified its way to cult success and convinced a few people to never go camping again. We also talk with Jason Loviglio, a media historian, about how the soothing tone of FDR's fireside chats, mirrored in the wartime reporting of Edward R. Murrow may have been the true target of Orson Welles adaptation of War of the Worlds. And in an ironic twist, the news media fully embraces Orson Welles greatest insight into broadcasting. It's a truth so terrifying you won't want to miss it: if the audience is scared, they will keep listening.
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