Why did Orson Welles change the beginning of The War of the Worlds for his

radio broadcast?

to capture the attention of the listeners

He did it to locate the story in a place more familiar to the audience.

Explanation:

"War of the Worlds" is a book written by Herbert Wells in which an alien invasion is described, the author originally placed it in England, but Orson Welles together with the Mercury Theater decided to change the beginning and locate the story in a place more familiar to the audience, so they placed the representation of the alien attack in Jersey.

Many people did not listen to the beginning of the transmission where it was noted that it was a dramatization of Wells's work and believed that this story was happening in reality.