WKBW War of the Worlds 1971

1971's Fantastic Halloween Eve "War of the Worlds" from WKBW Radio! On October 31, 1968, WKBW radio in Buffalo, NY, broadcast its new dramatization of the 1938 Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. This new realization was updated in all ways while keeping to the spirit of the original, but due to the changes in modern radio and new reporting, the WKBW version still sounds fresh, compelling and chilling today. Despite days of advance warning that this was a radio drama, and press releases to the local police and news media, the presentation was so realistic that it once again caused panic in WKBW's radio footprint, which included surrounding states and parts of Canada. Troops were dispatched and regional police departments went on alert until they heard the pizza ads. It was that powerful. The version presented here is a 1971 rebroadcast that was freshened and improved, and is arguably the best of the three that the station produced. It is simply sensational radio. Due to the previous posting having been muted by Youtube for copyright considerations, the pop songs of the era have, sadly, been removed with fades. There were only 4-5 songs so it is not a major change to the show, but it was fun to listen to the music of the time as the 100 mph DJ talks in and out of them. I've made the edits as seamless as possible. Also, I've left in one or two of the period advertisements, but removed most of the long (1-2 minutes) and repetitive ads for "fine polyester slacks" to improve the flow. Now sit back, relax, grab some period-appropriate refreshment (I'll leave that to you) and... enjoy!