The episode premiers at 1 p.m. May 15 on KXRW-FM (99.9), Vancouver, and KXRY-FM (91.1), Portland

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Re-Imagined Radio will present a timely science-fiction classic in May: “The Day the Earth Stood Still: A warning … an ultimatum.” The original radio adaptation of the 1951 movie aired on “Lux Radio Theatre.” Michael Rennie starred in both the movie and the radio play.

The episode premiers at 1 p.m. May 15 on KXRW-FM (99.9), Vancouver, and KXRY-FM (91.1), Portland. Subsequent broadcasts and streams will be provided by local, regional and international broadcast partners.

The movie was based on a 1940 short story, “Farewell to the Master,” written by Hiram Gilmore “Harry” Bates III. He used themes then popular in science fiction literature, including aliens, robots and flying saucers. The movie drew on fears of nuclear war and depicts the alien robot as a kind and noble visitor warning humanity to live peacefully or face the destruction of earth.

“As we hear in this radio story, the robot’s message is ignored by humanity,” said John Barber, producer and host of Re-Imagined Radio and faculty member of WSU Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture program “Even alien intervention cannot break through human intransigence.”

Re-imagined Radio premieres episodes on the third Monday of the month on KXRW-FM. In addition, every Sunday, an episode of Re-Imagined Radio is broadcast on KXRW, drawing from previously broadcast episodes. Episodes can be streamed on demand from the Re-Imagined Radio website, reimaginedradio.net.

Community Partners

Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, KXRY-FM, Marc Rose and Holly Slocum Design

About Re-Imagined Radio

Re-Imagined Radio was begun by Barber in 2013 to celebrate radio storytelling. ”We select, produce and perform classic and contemporary stories across a spectrum of radio genres, from dramas to comedies, from oral to aural histories, from documentaries to fictions, from soundscapes to sonic journeys, from radio to sound art,” Barber said. 

About WSU Vancouver

WSU Vancouver is in the homelands of Chinook and Taidnapam peoples and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations. 

Information provided by WSU Vancouver Communications.