A Great Big BOO! The War of the Worlds Comes to KWMV
TUNE IN TO KWMV 88.5 FM OR LISTEN ONLINE AT
Halloween Day · Saturday, October 31, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Central
By Al Timberlane · Good Morning Ozark American Journal™
Cartoon Alley Halloween Radio News Blitz! Promotional artwork supplied by Al Timberlane. The scheduled KWMV presentations are at 3 and 6 p.m. Central on Halloween Day.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Al Timberlane, and this Halloween we’re turning back the dial for one of radio’s legendary storytelling experiences: Orson Welles and The War of the Worlds.
Here in Mountain View, Arkansas, we celebrate the old tunes and the stories worth hearing again. Whether you’re listening from the Ozarks, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, or somewhere else around the world, pull up a chair and join us online.
Twice on Halloween Day
KWMV 88.5 FM will air The War of the Worlds at 3:00 p.m. Central and again at 6:00 p.m. Central on Saturday, October 31. Listen on the radio in Mountain View or online at www.kwmvradio.com.
Make a note, tell a friend, and let the radio do what radio does so well: give your imagination somewhere to go.
The Story Behind the Headlines
Orson Welles at a CBS microphone. Historical image supplied by Al Timberlane.
On October 30, 1938—the night before Halloween—Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre on the Air presented an adaptation of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds over CBS. Its fictional news bulletins helped make the unfolding Martian-invasion story sound remarkably immediate.
Some listeners mistook the drama for real events. The next day’s headlines helped build its enduring reputation as “the broadcast that shook America.” Historical accounts from the Library of Congress and the National Archives also explain that reports of widespread nationwide panic were exaggerated.
A contemporary newspaper front page reporting on the 1938 broadcast. Supplied by Al Timberlane; its dramatic headline reflects contemporary reporting, not a verified measure of nationwide panic.
That distinction belongs beside the old headlines. The storytelling remains extraordinary: voices, sound, silence, and timing working together to create a world inside the listener’s imagination.
From Pickin’ and Grinnin’ to a Great Big BOO
Most days, KWMV is where you’ll hear pickin’ and grinnin’, old-time gospel, folk, bluegrass, country, and a little good old rock and roll. On Halloween, we’re making room for a different kind of classic.
There’s nothing like a great radio story on Halloween. Some things never get old!
A great big BOO and a very Happy Halloween from Joe Hart, Al Timberlane, Alice, Randy, and all of us at KWMV 88.5 FM in Mountain View—the Boo Capital of the World!
“Let’s turn back the dial—and let the story begin.”
— Al Timberlane · The Al Timberlane Show
TUNE IN TO KWMV 88.5 FM OR LISTEN ONLINE AT
Saturday, October 31, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Central
Historical context and sources:
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