Modern Day War Of The Worlds Broadcast

I've always been interested in what a modern War Of The Worlds broadcast might be like. I imagine that it wouldn't nearly have the same effect as it did back in 1928 but I think the nostalgia factor might be good for a few laughs.

It's an interesting idea, though i wonder how it could be pulled off, especially when we have the internet and scientists, unless it was some ginormous hoax set up by many important people.

And I don't the radio is as important a it used to be in people's lives, sad to say.

How awesome would it be if a radio station was being "hacked" (complete with radio tuning static) while a survivor of an alien invasion in a whole different continent posted their Apocalyptic Log? Or perhaps one of the radio hosts is in on it, and he's trying to get the word out when his compatriots leave for say, lunch or something, only to come back with the host acting as if nothing was happening?

edited 22nd Jan '11 8:40:48 PM by Otogi

Dude, you know what would be awesome? If it was like the radio station itself was being taken over by aliens and they were forced to broadcast their message of intergalactic terror to the people of the world! It'd be like if CBS news was having their normal programming when suddenly alien invaders took control of the network and the radio news hosts said they were being held hostage.

In a much more serious tone though, since Sci Fi isn't really the norm, I wonder what other monsters news stations could claim are attacking/invading them? Espers or prokinetics are the more "realistic" choices, but I think they might have some fun with Humongous Mecha or Chemically Altered Human Apocalypse.

I'm pretty sure work for about say, a week or maybe even a month, would be way more interesting for people working there.

But yeah, I could totally see that happening, even in this day and age. Oh, but what about the transmissions from someone who was abducted aboard the mothership of an imperialist alien legion (perhaps Starfish or even Lovecraftian in nature)? Every episode would be them trying to inch their way to either the escape pod, or the bridge...

Speaking of espers and psychics, though, have you ever heard of a show called Aliens in the Mind? It's with Vincent Price and Peter Cushing that was kinda like that, but with telepaths and mind control. I can try to send you the file if you want.

edited 22nd Jan '11 9:50:52 PM by Otogi

Wow, that sounds awesome- how is it that I've never heard of these things before joining a forum?

Because this is TV Tropes: Like Wikipedia, but instead of picking up the factual and esoteric, you pick the fictional and rad.

I just saw a documentary about War Of The Worlds. That's how I learned it was actually introduced as fiction from the beginning, but unfortunately a lot of people zapped to it after that.

Then, a CBS higher-up was notified of the problem and ran announcements to remind people it was fiction, thrice, but it was already too late to quench the panic.

edited 30th Nov '14 12:36:36 AM by Medinoc

Right, they kept trying to tell people it was all fiction but by that time they were hunting the fields of New Jersey for Martians.

The big thing that gets in the way is that the FCC (and don't ever fiddle with the EAS or any of it's signals/tones for a broadcast program) doesn't take kindly to intentionally spreading panic over the airways. You'd have to have some sort of warning/notice about fictional content like Welles did to put such a program on the air.

Now an episodic program, that would just be cool, with the host playing some "weird old tapes" they found or the like. (if I still had my program, I'd play it)

edited 5th Jan '12 3:22:55 PM by hotelkilo

You guys might want to watch Derren Brown's apocalypse episodes. He hijacks several different forms of media including making fake BBC news articles to convince this one guy about a meteorite strike which ultimately leads to a zombie apocalypse. Scary stuff.