The Max Headroom Incident (October 16, 2018)

Stephen
Oct 16, 2018
2 min read

Updated: Oct 29, 2018

Date of Event: November 22, 1987

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Background

Max Headroom was a popular icon of the 1980's. He was an AI (the term used very loosely) created in 1984. He appeared digital and had a robotic, often distorted voice. He had various TV appearances during the era, including New Coke ads.

The Hijackings

The first hijacking occurred on Channel 9's WGN-TV. During a Chicago Bears highlight showcase from a game earlier that night, the screen went black. Fifteen second passed and a man in a Max Headroom mask and sunglasses appears. A moving metal sheet simulated the usual Max Headroom background. No audio besides a buzzing was heard. The regular programming was eventually restored. The anchor reacted by saying, "If you're wondering what happened, so am I".

This was then followed by the hijacking of WTTV at around 11:15 pm. It occurred while an episode of Doctor Who was on air. The hijacker appeared and said various incoherent phrases. He proclaims that "He's a frickin nerd", possibly in reference to the titular Doctor Who. He called the sports expert Chuck Swirsky a "frickin liberal" and said the New Coke slogan "Catch the Wave" while holding a Pepsi can. He then hummed the theme song to Clutch Cargo. The figure continues to say more random nonsense. It then cuts to the man portraying max bending over with his buttocks exposed, as someone in a maid costume lightly spanks him with a flyswatter. They eventually ended the hijacking. The FBI and the FCC eventually started an investigation that has yet to reach a conclusion.

Theory

I don't believe that whoever hijacked these stations had sinister intentions. I believe that they simply did this for some kind of stunt for shock. That being said, I also believe that the hijackers had an intricate knowledge of cable signals and how to navigate them. I also believe that they were criticizing television as a whole, based on their jokes.