History Main / PhonyNewscast

** Twelve years before the Welles ''War of the Worlds'' broadcast, BBC Radio aired ''Broadcasting the Barricades'', a simulated account of a violent revolution in London. Catholic priest and satirist Ronald Knox regaled listeners with reports of Big Ben getting toppled, the National Gallery being looted, and the Houses of Parliament and Savoy Hotel coming under mortar fire. As with the Welles broadcast, the Knox drama [[http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/the_bbc_radio_panic caused a panic among some listeners]] to were unaware they were tuned in to a fictional program.

* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' frequently satirized TV newscasts (as well as BBC Radio newscasts). The surprising appearance of Richard Baker, an authoritative figure BBC News since 1954, as the newsreader in one of these sketches was Monty Python's [[Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn Richard-Nixon-saying-"Sock-it-to-me?"]] moment.

* ''[[http://www.apocalypsezone.com/audio-drama/peoria-plague-classic-zombie-audio-drama-1972/ The Peoria Plague]]'', produced by Peoria, Illinois radio station WUHN in 1972, involves the station's easy listening music format being interrupted by a breaking news story about a BigBlackout that turns into a combination of ThePlague, ZombieApocalypse and AlienInvasion.

'''Fictional Program'''

'''TV satire'''

'''Commercial'''

* ''[[http://www.apocalypsezone.com/audio-drama/peoria-plague-classic-zombie-audio-drama-1972/ The Peoria Plague]]'', produced by Peoria, Illinois radio station WUHN in 1972, involves the station's easy listening music format being interrupted by a breaking news story about a BigBlackout that turns into a combination ZombieApocalypse and AlienInvasion.

* "Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds", the UrExample and TropeMaker, was an October 30, 1938 broadcast of Creator/OrsonWelles' CBS radio series ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', featuring a dramatization of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds H.G. Wells' novel]] updated for 20th-century America. The program depicted a generic big band music performance getting [[WeInterruptThisProgram interrupted]] by a series of news bulletins covering what turns out to be the vanguard of an AlienInvasion of Earth by Martians. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listened through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly listeners who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Welles' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* "Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds", the UrExample and TropeMaker, was an October 30, 1938 broadcast of Creator/OrsonWelles' CBS radio series ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', featuring a dramatization of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds H.G. Wells' novel]] updated for 20th-century America. The program depicted a generic big band music performance getting [[WeInterruptThisProgram interrupted]] by a series of news bulletins covering what turns out to be the vanguard of an AlienInvasion by Martians. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listened through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly listeners who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Welles' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* "Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds", the UrExample and TropeMaker, was an October 30, 1938 broadcast of Creator/OrsonWelles' CBS radio series ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', featuring a dramatization of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds H.G. Wells' novel]] updated for 20th-century America. The program depicted a series of news bulletins covering an AlienInvasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listened through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly listeners who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Welles' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* "Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds", the UrExample and TropeMaker, was an October 30, 1938 broadcast of Creator/OrsonWelles' CBS radio series ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', featuring a dramatization of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds H.G. Wells' novel]] updated for 20th-century America. The program depicted a series of news bulletins covering an AlienInvasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listened through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly listeners who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The UrExample and TropeMaker for Phony Newscast is the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', an adaptation of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds the novel]], which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listened through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly listeners who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* The MadeForTVMovie ''Film/WithoutWarning1994'' presented an AlienInvasion in newscast form, even making the titles part of a home-invasion drama which is interrupted by the news. The introduction to the film openly acknowledges Welles' ''War of the Worlds'' radio play as its inspiration.

* ''Series/TheDailyShow'' at mimics a regular news shows, to the point where many fans treat it as one.

* The 1983 MadeForTVMovie ''Film/SpecialBulletin'' begins with what purports to be the opening of a daily lineup for a television network, and the first few seconds of a fictional game show, then cuts to what appears to be a news broadcast, where we eventually learn a group may have a nuclear weapon in a boat in Charleston harbor. [[spoiler: the broadcast continues through the inevitable detonation of the bomb and its aftermath.]]

** It's quite common in the new ''Series/DoctorWho''.

** A rather odd example: In ''Series/{{Blackadder}} The Third'', Vincent Hanna, who was then a BBC election correspondent, appeared as "[[IdenticalGrandson his own great-great-grandfather]]", reporting on the Dunny-on-the-Wold by-election for ''The Country Gentleman's Pig Fertilizer Gazette''. This was treated exactly as a TV broadcast, even though it was the 18th century. But [[AnachronismStew that's how Blackadder works]].

* One of the extras in the campaign mode of ''{{Starcraft}} II: Wings of Liberty'' is the Dominion's own news network, whose hilariously incompetent attempts to be a propaganda machine for Emperor Mengsk provide comic relief between missions.

* The Baz Luhrmann ''[[WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet Romeo + Juliet]]'' reinterprets the original play's prologue as a newscast.

* Initial episodes of the original ''Series/{{V}}'' TV series opened with a faux newscast on resistance activities.

* Many Infomercials attempt to disguise themselves as news magazine-style shows, with a serious-looking host and a set resembling something from CNN. Of course, the "host" has a "guest" come on who does nothing but extol the virtues of whatever product they're selling. And the same "newscast" is repeated every day.

* Many Infomercials attempt to disguise themselves as news magazine-style shows, with a serious-looking host and a set resembling something from CNN. Of course, the "host" has a "guest" come on who does nothing but extol the virtues of whatever product they're selling.

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' features a faux newscast segment called "Weekend Update'' poking fun at real news stories [[note]]That segment was titled "SNL [=NewsBreak=]" in the 7th season (featuring Brian Doyle-Murray, Mary Gross Christine Ebersole), and was known as "Saturday Night News" from 8th to 10th season, going back to the original name when Lorne Michaels returned to the show in 1985[[/note]].

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' features a faux newscast segment called "Weekend Update'' poking fun at real news stories[[note]]That segment was titled "SNL NewsBreak" in the 7th season (featuring Brian Doyle-Murray, Mary Gross Christine Ebersole), and was known as "Saturday Night News" from 8th to 10th season, going back to the original name when Lorne Michaels returned to the show in 1985[[/note]].

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' features a faux newscast segment called "Weekend Update'' poking fun at real news stories.

* The 1983 MadeForTVMovie ''SpecialBulletin'' begins with what purports to be the opening of a daily lineup for a television network, and the first few seconds of a fictional game show, then cuts to what appears to be a news broadcast, where we eventually learn a group may have a nuclear weapon in a boat in Charleston harbor. [[spoiler: the broadcast continues through the inevitable detonation of the bomb and its aftermath.]]