On November 22, 1987, two television stations in Chicago were attacked by a very peculiar intruder. The first attack lasted about 25 seconds, and two hours later the second began, stretching for 90 seconds. The strangest part is that the TV pirate decided to draw inspiration from the character of Max Headroom, unforgettable "virtual" host of the 80s...
Max Headroom is a mandatory stop for any science fiction enthusiast interested in exploring the cyberpunk of the 80s. Both his original film 20 Minutes Into the Future and the series produced a couple of years later installed in our minds a strange, chaotic, disrespectful character full of satire, which clicked immediately with almost an entire generation. However, Max Headroom went beyond its original material and subsequent tributes thanks to a very peculiar incident...
The First Attack: WGN-TV
On November 22, 1987, two television stations in the city of Chicago suffered temporary hijacking of their programming. The first attack happened at nine at night on the WGN-TV Channel 9 signal while it was broadcasting the sports section of its newscast.
The image went black for 15 seconds, and out of nowhere appeared a subject dressed as Max Headroom in front of a corrugated steel sheet that imitated the effect of the original background. The transmission had no dialogue, and only an oscillating sound could be heard. WGN engineers made a quick frequency change and interrupted the attack, and anchor Dan Roan took it with a bit of humor.
The Second Attack: WTTW
The second attack took place two hours later, this time on the WTTW signal which at that moment was broadcasting an episode of Doctor Who, Horror of Fang Rock (start of the 15th classic season). Unlike the previous attack, this one lasted about 90 seconds and included audio of very low quality.
"Max Headroom" begins to talk about presenter Chuck Swirsky, saying he is better than him and accusing him of being a "damn liberal". Then he mentions the New Coke slogan "Catch the Wave" with a can of Pepsi in his hand (Max Headroom was a spokesperson for Coca-Cola at that time).
Here the intruder screams, moans, laughs, hums the music of the animated series Clutch Cargo, complains about the pain of his hemorrhoids, lets out gas (or so it seems), and ends up exposing his butt on screen while an accomplice dressed as a maid orders him to bend over and hits him with a flyswatter.
Aftermath and Investigation
The Max Headroom incident became national news. Complaints multiplied against WTTW for the on-air "nudity", and authorities launched an investigation immediately. In essence, those responsible risked paying a fine of 100,000 dollars and spending a year in prison.
Technical analysis of the attack suggests that "Max Headroom" injected a high-power signal over the original transmission at the antenna of the former Sears Tower in Chicago, either from an adjacent building or using a robust ground transmitter.
Experts of the time assured that the necessary equipment could be purchased for about 25,000 dollars (55,000 dollars adjusted for inflation) and transported unassembled in a couple of suitcases. Max Headroom and its pirates were never located.
Source: Damn Interesting
