radio: war of the worlds Flashcards
radio industry: what was radios main competitor?
newspapers
radio industry: what had the news been filled with at the time of 1938?
stories about growing tensions in Europe and hitlers rise to power
radio industry: what did the audience feel radio would give them?
more up to date news about world affairs e.g wars and potential attacks
when was war of the worlds broadcast?
October 30th, 1938
radio industry: where was WOTW broadcast on? what kind of station was it?
Columbia broadcasting system (CBS). CBS was a commercial station, meaning they relied on getting large numbers of listeners which may explain why they were willing to push the boundaries
radio industry: what segment was WOTW part of?
the mercury thryeathre on the air segment which helps target listeners interested in Mercurys successful theatre based dramas
radio industry: who directed WOTW? what did he do to make it seem so real?
Orson Welles - he was young and had had some big successes in theatre so would attract fans of his work. he borrowed ideas from other radio shows that had blended drama with news reports
radio industry: who wrote it? how does this help the broadcast?
Howard Koch. he had had some good successes at adapting science fiction novels and stories into radio dramas. the use of individual writers and directors who had successful previous credits helps to reduce the risk and attract listeners
radio industry: what was the radio broadcast based on? how did this help?
an existing book by HG Wells which helped to minimise risk and maximise audiences. it already has an existing fan base and a pre sold audience who are aware of the book
radio industry: what did CBS make the writers do in order to not be sued?
change some of the real town and companies mentioned to fake ones - self regulation
radio industry: what did the station do to make audiences aware it was a radio play?
they made several announcements that evening to remind listeners it was a radio play and not real
radio industry: what did welles’ do after the show?
he came back onto the radio and said he considered it to be a halloween special that’s they it had been designed to feel horrific and terrifying
radio industry: who was the regulatory body for the radio in usa? what did they decide after inspection?
the federal complaints commission (FCC). they decided CBS had not done anything wrong but they did decide to ban radio stations from broadcasting fake alarms about wars or invasions
radio industry: how did CBS feel about the publicity surrounding the show?
they were pleased because it meant people were taking about their station
audiences: how many people were listening? how many thought it was true?
12 million listeners
1 in every 12 thought it was true
audiences: what did C.E Hooper ratings service do the night it aired and what did they find?
telephones 5000 households and asked what programme they were listening to. only 2% answered the orson Welles programme. in other words, 98% of those surveyed were listening to something else or nothing at all on oct 30th 1938
audiences: how was the play structured in order to feel like a real breaking news story?
- an orchestra playing music
- chat between presenters
- news style reports
- real locations e.g New York City
audiences: how did the reporter make audiences scared?
the reporter who was on the scene of the aliens landing used a panicked voice
audiences: what did they do to add a sense of fear and isolation?
they used dead air (silence) and the radio operator said “is there anyone there?” and got no response. they also added no breaks in the first half which added to the sense of realism and make audiences believe it was serious
audiences: how did audiences react?
some went out onto the streets and there were 2000 phone calls in 2 hours to the FCC. children were told to take gas masks to school
audiences: what happened at the time which prevented other listeners from making phone calls?
there was a real power cut which prevented people from listening to more radio or making phone calls, resulting in further fear being spread
audiences: what did newspapers do?
they emphasised and exaggerated the effects of the broadcast
12,500 newspaper articles were made about it which shows there was clearly a big reaction
Leonardo Piazz make an article saying he saw things in the sky, which was a lie, but people believed it
audiences: what were some rumours that the newspapers made?
that the radio show had caused heart attacks, shock and suicide
audiences: what did some listeners miss?
they missed the mentions of it being a fictional radio drama as they had been listening to a show on a competing radio station just prior (The Chase and Sanborn Hour)
audiences: what do some argue about the reactions?
some argue that reactions wouldn’t have been so bad had newspapers not spread panic about the show. they magnified and exaggerated reactions
historical context: why were Americans already on edge?
they were concerned about global conflict and the idea of invasion. breaking news bulletins were common and when welles’ broadcast mimicked those bulletins, it felt real to many listeners
historical context: how did some audiences misinterpret the play?
some audiences were convinced the reports of attack were about a German invasion as it happened just before WW2 and there was a lot of tension between Europe and Germany
historical context: what did no tv and no internet mean listeners couldn’t do?
there was no way of fact checking the show and the information
cultural context: how did welles’ make the invasion feel like it was happening right now?
he brought the HG welles’ 1898 novel into the modern world
cultural context: why did people believe it?
people were conditioned to believe what they heard on the radio—especially if it sounded like it was coming from official sources. when actors playing reporters and scientists broke in with realistic updates, it mimicked how real news would report a catastrophe
social context: what did some do as a result of the panic? who were most likely to recognise it was fiction?
while the extent of the “panic” is debated (some argue it was exaggerated by newspapers), many people did believe the invasion was real, at least for a short time. some fled their homes, called the police, or rushed to churches
those who heard the disclaimer were most likely the ones to recognise it was fiction
political context: what did the broadcast spark regulation of?
the broadcast sparked calls for government regulation of radio content. it led to debated about media responsibility and some accused welles of intentional causing hysteria. it exposed how easily the public could be manipulated
theorists: hypodermic needle theory
suggests that media messages are “injected” directly into an audiences mind, with strong and immediate effects. the panic caused by WOTW broadcast was seen as proof that the media could control and manipulate audiences. people believed what they heard without questioning it, which supports the theory. newspapers especially magnified and exaggerated what happened which manipulated audiences
theorists: halls reception theory
media producers “encode” messages/meanings into their products, which audiences then “decode”. the theory highlights the active role of audiences in interpreting media texts
Dominant reading - find the broadcast humorous and understand it was fictional
Negotiated reading - heard the announcements but still saw it as scary
Oppositional reading - believed it. most likely didn’t read the book and didn’t hear the announcements
theorists: two step flow theory
we are much more likely to be affected by the media if we discuss it with others. our opinions are affected by the way those we socialise with have viewed the media. the people we discuss our ideas with are called “opinion leaders”. people may have heard about the broadcast from others, not directly. some called family, neighbours or local authorities to verify what was happening - shows media effects are filtered through social networks
theorists: moral panic theory
developed by Cohen and explains an exaggerated public reaction to a perceived threat to social order, often fueled by media coverage and societal anxieties. the post-broadcast newspaper coverage amplified the idea of mass hysteria, turning it into a national story. some argue the real panic was not from the listeners, but from the media
