1938 CBS broadcast of War of the Worlds.

 

1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds?

Orson Welles’ 1938 radio play is an adaption of H.G. Wells’ novel of the same name, first published in 1898. It tells the story of an alien invasion and the ensuing conflict between mankind and an extra- terrestrial race from Mars.

2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience?

Broadcast live on 30th October 1938, popular myth has it that thousands of New Yorkers fled their homes in panic, and all across America

3) How did the New York Times report the reaction the next day?

MANY FLEE HOMES TO ESCAPE ‘GAS RAID FROM MARS’ – PHONE CALLS SWAMP POLICE AT BROADCAST OF WELLES FANTASY

4) How did author Brad Schwartz describe the the broadcast and its reaction?

hysteria it caused was not entirely a myth. “Instead it was something decades ahead of its time: history’s first viral-media phenomenon.”

5) Why did Orson Welles use hybrid genres and pastiche and what effect might it have had on the audience?

he is able to create real moments of shock and awe, which almost certainly account for the strong reaction it received.

6) How did world events in 1938 affect the way audiences interpreted the show?

Europe’s failed appeasement of Germany was viewed with much concern and for many it seemed that another world war was inevitable.

7) Which company broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938?
CBS radio broadcast 
8) Why might the newspaper industry have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast?
as the radio was a threat to the newspapers they wanted to show radio in a bad light so newspapers can remain dominant
9) Does War of the Worlds provide evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory?

This states that audiences consume and respond to media texts in an unquestioning way, this may be true for W.O.T.W as the audiences were passiveand idnt question the radio broadcast 

10) How might Gerbner's cultivation theory be applied to the broadcast?

the audience’s behaviour in response to the radio broadcast since it emphasises the longer-term effects that media texts have upon audiences.

11) Applying Hall's Reception Theory, what could be the preferred and oppositional readings of the original broadcast?

 The dominant or preferred reading by the audience is the one intended by the creator of the text. However, a person might read

it in an oppositional way depending upon factors such as their age, gender or background. For example, a young male is likely to ‘read’ page three of The Sun as a bit of harmless fun (the preferred reading), whereas a female might regard it as offensive. Hall also suggests that readings of a media text might be negotiated. This is an acceptance of the preferred reading but modified in a way that reflects the audience’  own position, experiences and interests.

12) Do media products still retain the ability to fool audiences as it is suggested War of the Worlds did in 1938? Has the digital media landscape changed this?

I think that media products still the ability to fool audiences especially now with fake news or ai and this has been showcased with Donald trump suing the BBC as they edited his speech 

13) What reasons are provided for why the audience may have been scared by the broadcast in 1938? 

 1938 were scared – some even really believed aliens had landed. Renegade director Orson Welles for  chose to tell the story using realistic radio conventions

14) How did newspapers present the story? 

the newspapers caught wind of a radio play that seemed to have caused panic and disquiet among its listeners and they used that to support their claim that the radio was all- powerful and, ultimately, dangerous.

15) How does the article describe the rise of radio? 

feared radio would kill off the other main media industries

16) What does the article say about regulation of radio in the 1930s? 

As a relatively new media form, there was still widespread scepticism about radio’s benefits and a lot of concern about its potential downsides.

17) How does the article apply media theories to the WOTW? Give examples.

Gerbner’s ‘cultivation theory’, which says that the media can provoke certain responses from us if it repeats or cultivates a message often enough.cultivation theory may explain why the newspapers’ version of TWOTW hysteria has gone down in the history books,