How are the time periods in the original novel and radio versions of the war of the worlds different?

The radio version was set in 1938 on the day it was broadcast, while the novel was set in the late 1800s.

The radio version was presented as a real situation. It was not clarified to the audience that was just a "play", and the people panicked. What people heard on the radio was taken seriously. THe events in the original novel are developed in England in the 19th century, this was changed to adapt it to the radio show to the United States, in New Jersey to make it more contemporary. Orson Wells wanted a greater broadcast off his novel, so he came up with this idea.