broadcastarchive-umd:todaysdocument:“To avoid a reoccurrence of a very grave and serious situa
broadcastarchive-umd:todaysdocument:“To avoid a reoccurrence of a very grave and serious situation that developed…due to the public’s misinterpretation of the broadcast…dramatizing H.G. Wells’ "War of the Worlds”, which completely crippled communications facilities of our Police Department…I am requesting that you immediately make an investigation and do everything possible to prevent a reoccurrence.“…Tremendous excitement existed among certain areas of this community and we were receiving constantly long distance phone calls from many states making inquiries of relatives and families thought to have been killed by the catastrophe that was included in the play.”— letter dated October 31, 1938, from Paul Morton, City Manager of Trenton, New Jersey.On October 30, 1938, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) broadcast an adaptation of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells…The newly created Federal Communications Commission received more than 600 letters about the broadcast, including the one featured here.Via Prologue: "Jitterbugs” and “Crack-pots" Letters to the FCC about the “War of the Worlds” Broadcast: "Not everyone who listened was scared into some sort of action. Many who were initially frightened simply looked outdoors, turned the dial to see if another station was carrying the ‘news,’ or consulted a newspaper listing that described the evening’s broadcast schedule."Millions of other listeners were delighted by the performance. Many of them, too, wrote letters. Of the 1,770 people who wrote to the main CBS station about the broadcast, 1,086 were complimentary. In addition, 91 percent of the letters received by the Mercury Theatre staff were positive. And roughly 40 percent of the letters sent to the FCC were supportive of the broadcast."These letters focused on the entertainment value of the program, discouraged censorship, encouraged rebroadcasting the performance, and in many cases, offered sharp criticism of those who had complained…” -- source link