The producers of the radio version of The War of the Worlds warned the audience that the broadcast wasn't real by:
1. By saying that the narrator was reading from a book: The radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds began with an introduction stating that the story being told was an adaptation of the famous science fiction novel written by H.G. Wells. This framing device indicated to the audience that what they were about to hear was a dramatization and not an actual news broadcast.
By incorporating this disclaimer at the start of the program, the producers aimed to clarify that the events unfolding in the broadcast were fictional and not to be mistaken for real-time news. This approach helped manage expectations and prevent unnecessary panic or confusion among listeners who might tune in midway through the broadcast and mistake it for a genuine emergency situation.