This coming Wednesday (October 30th) will mark the 75th anniversary of the most famous single dramatic program in the history of American radio: The Orson Welles "Mercury Theatre" (so named because Welles and fellow actors from the Mercury Theatre was the cast, not because Mercury automobiles sponsored it; in fact, the show at the time was "sustaining", having no network commercials) adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The War Of The Worlds".
As you know, the first 40 or so minutes of the program dramatized the invasion in the form of radio news coverage, and as a result, millions panicked or were confused; but amazingly, no one seems to have died as a result of the hysteria.
But one major city didn't get "invaded" by Welles' "Martians": My hometown of Boston.
According to the radio page of the October 30th, 1938 Boston Sunday Globe, the old WEEI-590, recently purchased by CBS (it had previously been an affiliate of NBC Red) didn't carry "Mercury", but instead, carried a local public-affairs forum called "The New England Town Meeting" from Boston's Faneuil Hall.
The paper noted that the subject that Sunday night was whether an amendment to the Massachusetts State Constitution be enacted changing the legislature to "biennial" sessions and budgets (meaning the Legislature would meet only every other year and pass two-year state budgets).
The reason WEEI probably pre-empted the network for this local public-affairs show, and the reason "Mercury" had no sponsors was simple: Look at the listing for NBC Red (then on WNAC-1230) at 8. NBC Red's 8 P.M. program was the Edger Bergen and Charlie McCarthy show, then one of the most popular shows on network radio, and along with "The Jack Benny Program" at 7 eastern, was an anchor of NBC Red's Sunday-night lineup, in what in today's terms might be called "Must-Hear Radio".
NBC Red was so dominant on Sunday that CBS probably ran "Mercury" in that slot as a "throwaway": A show with limited appeal that probably wouldn't be sold to a sponsor anyway.
But guess what?? beginning the next week (November 7th), according to that day's Globe, WEEI began carrying "Mercury". And a few months later, the show gained a sponsor: Campbell's Soups.
Although WEEI didn't carry "War Of The Worlds", two other nearby CBS stations did: WPRO-630 in Providence (those in Boston and points south could hear "Mercury" there) and WORC-1280 (now at 1310) in Worcester (where listeners in what is now Metrowest and Central Massachusetts could tune-in).
And of course, there was the powerful night signal of CBS flagship station WABC-860 (now WCBS at 880), which could be easily picked-up at night in the Boston area.
As you know, the first 40 or so minutes of the program dramatized the invasion in the form of radio news coverage, and as a result, millions panicked or were confused; but amazingly, no one seems to have died as a result of the hysteria.
But one major city didn't get "invaded" by Welles' "Martians": My hometown of Boston.
According to the radio page of the October 30th, 1938 Boston Sunday Globe, the old WEEI-590, recently purchased by CBS (it had previously been an affiliate of NBC Red) didn't carry "Mercury", but instead, carried a local public-affairs forum called "The New England Town Meeting" from Boston's Faneuil Hall.
The paper noted that the subject that Sunday night was whether an amendment to the Massachusetts State Constitution be enacted changing the legislature to "biennial" sessions and budgets (meaning the Legislature would meet only every other year and pass two-year state budgets).
The reason WEEI probably pre-empted the network for this local public-affairs show, and the reason "Mercury" had no sponsors was simple: Look at the listing for NBC Red (then on WNAC-1230) at 8. NBC Red's 8 P.M. program was the Edger Bergen and Charlie McCarthy show, then one of the most popular shows on network radio, and along with "The Jack Benny Program" at 7 eastern, was an anchor of NBC Red's Sunday-night lineup, in what in today's terms might be called "Must-Hear Radio".
NBC Red was so dominant on Sunday that CBS probably ran "Mercury" in that slot as a "throwaway": A show with limited appeal that probably wouldn't be sold to a sponsor anyway.
But guess what?? beginning the next week (November 7th), according to that day's Globe, WEEI began carrying "Mercury". And a few months later, the show gained a sponsor: Campbell's Soups.
Although WEEI didn't carry "War Of The Worlds", two other nearby CBS stations did: WPRO-630 in Providence (those in Boston and points south could hear "Mercury" there) and WORC-1280 (now at 1310) in Worcester (where listeners in what is now Metrowest and Central Massachusetts could tune-in).
And of course, there was the powerful night signal of CBS flagship station WABC-860 (now WCBS at 880), which could be easily picked-up at night in the Boston area.
Last edited: