And a creepy one at that as many still are trying to decipher the audio to make sure we all know what the person was rambling about because none of the statements that were audible make sense from one to the other. The fact that it remains unsolved is somewhat of a fascination.
#Max headroom incident pbs full
He was unable to be stopped and his intrusion lasted for several minutes before he just simply ended the transmission and returned HBO to his programming.įor those of you wondering, $12.95 a month in 1985 US money would equal almost $30 a month in 2013.īut the Captain Midnight HBO hijacking was almost two full years before the absolutely creepy Max Headroom piracy. Twenty months before the Max Headroom Piracy Incident, was Captain Midnight. MacDougall, a Florida business owner and electrical engineer. Captain Midnight would be identified as John R. He plead guilty as he feared a lengthy jail sentence and was given probation and a fine. But Captain Midnight was caught and brought to trial. In April 1986, HBO was hacked in by someone calling themselves Captain Midnight. It was not the first time that a television station had been hijacked and it would not be the last. To this day, the pirating case remains unsolved. The Max Headroom figure never appeared again.Īnd the most interesting point of this story: Those responsible were never caught. WTTW Technicians attempted in vain to do something about the transmission, but were unable to stop it as WGN-TV was able to just a couple hours earlier. Then suddenly the transmission went black. Its reported that second person said “Bend over, bitch” and a spanking session began that was carried out by a simple household flyswatter and the occasional other hand on to that person’s backside. The Max Headroom mask was apparently removed and shown in front of the camera and the howling and screaming continued with “They’re coming to get me!”Īnother accomplice was in view standing behind the exposed buttocks wearing a French maid uniform. The picture cut to a shot of a man’s torso and exposed buttocks. Several other props were broadcast including one glove and a sex toy before things turned even stranger and darker during the hijacked broadcast. One of the statements made was an incorrect “product placement” of Pepsi-Cola, rather than Coca-Cola in which Max Headroom was the spokesperson, the man in the mask blurted out the slogan and laughed like a maniac before turning his verbal intentions to moaning and psychotic screaming. This hijacking lasted longer than the WGN intrusion. The rest of it was senseless ramblings and profanity (in 1987’s FCC standards) and singing. Most of the things that were said were inaudible. But this time, audio was available even though it was manipulated. Who episode “Horror of Fang Rock” when the hijacker struck again.Īround 11:15 PM the signal faded to black and the person dressed as Max Headroom was back. Later on the same evening, sometime after 11:00 PM, Chicago’s PBS television station WTTW-TV was broadcasting the Dr. And still confused, he said “Well, if you are wondering what’s happened. The entire incident left sports journalist Dan Roan searching for an explanation. WGN-TV engineers changed their frequency of their link to the transmitter and cut off the pirated broadcast. And almost thirty seconds later it was gone and WGN-TV had returned to broadcasting. If there was anything that was being said, it was never heard. There was no clear audio other than an annoying loud buzzing sound. A couple of seconds later, there was an image of an unknown and unidentified person in a Max Headroom mask bobbing their head back and forth. WGN-TV was broadcasting their 9:00 PM primetime news program to their viewers.
So then on the 22nd of November 1987 in Chicago, Illinois… everything was calm and peaceful. Max Headroom even was a spokesperson for New Coke when their “Catch the Wave!” campaign was released.
Known for its quick wit, stuttering, and computer-distorted voice.
#Max headroom incident pbs tv
Max Headroom was portrayed by actor Matt Frewer and became the world’s first computer-generated TV hosts. I have no recollection of it happening when it did happen either.įor those of you who do not know the infamous character in the image, it is a British fictional AI who was introduced to the public in 1984 named Max Headroom. I honestly had never heard of this incident until just a few days ago. But that’s not nearly as scary as the second, which is losing.”~ Lance Armstrong
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