2003-06-20
... ? Sun-Sentinel: TVHoaxes, pranks and stunts have been part of radio for generations, back to the granddaddy of them all, Orson Welles' 1938 Martians-invade-New Jersey broadcast, based on H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds," which inadvertently created widespread panic. There's rarely anything inadvertent in today's broadcast stunts, which feature an uneven variety of edgy cleverness and malicious manipulation. Radio stations with shrinking promotional budgets but a desperate need to stand out in their conglomerate-dominated world have taken on-the-air goofery to new heights.
