The Signal Intrusion of 1987
On November 22, 1987, television viewers in Chicago were watching the news when the screen suddenly went black. 15 seconds later, a person wearing a grotesque rubber mask of the character “Max Headroom” appeared, bobbing in front of a rotating corrugated metal background. There was no audio, just a buzzing noise. Engineers at WGN-TV regained control, but the hacker wasn’t done. Two hours later, during an episode of Doctor Who on PBS, the signal was hijacked again.
The 90-Second Nightmare
This time, there was audio. The masked figure rambled incoherently about Chuck Swirsky (a local sportscaster), soda cans, and gloves. The transmission ended with the figure being spanked with a flyswatter by an off-screen accomplice while screaming. The intrusion lasted 90 seconds, and despite an intense FBI investigation, the culprits were never caught.
- Technical Sophistication: Hijacking a broadcast signal in 1987 required heavy, expensive equipment and line-of-sight access to the studio’s transmitter. The hacker had to be an expert RF engineer.
- The Motive: Unlike modern hacks which are often political or for profit, this was pure surrealism. It was a prank performed for an audience of millions, with no demand and no message.
- Suspects: Theories range from disgruntled TV station employees to local computer geeks, but no hard evidence ever surfaced.
The Legacy: The Max Headroom incident remains the most famous act of video piracy in history. Somewhere in Chicago, there is likely a person (now in their 60s or 70s) who knows exactly who was behind the mask.