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WTTW Channel 11 - "The Max Headroom Pirating Incident" (1987)

During a broadcast of the Dr. Who episode "Horror of Fang Rock" on WTTW Chicago Channel 11, on Sunday November 22nd, 1987, at around 11:15pm, a Video "Pirate" wearing a Max Headroom mask broke into the signal and transmitted one of the weirdest, unauthorized things ever to hit the Chicago airwaves.

Earlier in the evening on the same day, during the Nine O'Clock News on Channel 9 (Yes, a completely different channel) the Max Headroom Pirate also broke in - although it was for a much shorter time and there was no audio.

Needless to say, Dan Rohn (the sports reporter) was a bit flustered.

And no, he was never caught.

My Take: The guy was probably high and/or drunk. Even with the audio distortion, his ramblings don't make much sense. Here's what I am able to make out:

"He's a freaky nerd!"

"This guy's better than Chuck Swirsky." [another WGN sportscaster at the time]

"Oh Jesus!"

"Catch the wave..." [reference to a Coke commercial at the time of which Max Headroom was a spokesperson]

"Your love is fading..."

"I stole CBS."

"Oh, I just made a giant masterpiece printed all over the greatest world newspaper nerds." [??]

"My brother [mother?] is wearing the other one."

"It's dirty..."

"They're coming to get me..."

(Note also that he appears to be wearing a [rude word deleted] on his middle finger.)

Go here to read more details about this event. (alternate website)


This clip aired on Sunday, November 22nd 1987, and is included in the following categories:
  • 1980s
  • WTTW Channel 11
  • Technical Difficulty Moments, Screw-Ups & Interruptions
  • Miscellaneous Odds & Ends
  • WTTW Dr. Who Opens, Closes, Promos & Related Material
  • Max Headroom Pirating Incident & Related Clips

    Viewer Comments

    The audio sounds much better (and scarier) now. Cool...
    Comment posted by jonrev on Thursday, November 1st, 2007 at 8:11 PM

    I didn't witness this when it happened, but I did see the initial break-in on WGN's news at about 9:40-9:45. I remember wondering what the hell happened, then all the news coverage the next morning!

    This bit of TV history was swept aside when Mayor Harold Washington dropped dead at his desk the following Thursday morning (and I was sick that day and home to witness it....)
    Comment posted by SuperCFL on Thursday, November 22nd, 2007 at 3:52 PM

    I remember the night this happened: I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation instead. I was crushing on Denise Crosby big time. It was all over the news the next day and I was kicking myself for missing it!
    Comment posted by 4thtroika on Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 12:06 AM

    Another funny thing about this, it broke into Doctor Who, and the special effects were at about the same level :)
    Comment posted by Joey G on Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 2:40 AM

    Yes, I was taping Doctor who that night as was my custom, and It was I who sold a copy of this VHS tape to Channel 5 news the next day.

    They even sent out a newsman and camera crew to interview me at home. The evening news show this clip and the short segement of my interview.

    I have since lost the copy I made of the news broadcast and I wonder if someone out there has a copy of this plus my 25 seconds of TV fame :)
    Comment posted by bigfish1991 on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 6:27 PM

    bigfish1991 - Sorry I didn't respond earlier to this - been toooo busy. Anyway, that's a cool story. I do have a few different news reports about the pirating incident which I hope to post *eventually*. Even if I don't have it though, the good news is that the MBC should have a copy of that news broadcast as they started recording all local nightly newscasts starting in 1987. By the way, how much did you sell the copy of your tape for? Did you negotiate with them or did they just offer you a set amount? (Do you still have your original tape? Just wondering if it's possibly a quality upgrade)
    Comment posted by FuzzyMemories on Monday, March 10th, 2008 at 11:59 PM

    I DIDN'T SEE THIS INITIALLY MYSELF AS I WAS IN BED AT THE TIME,BUT MY MOM AND DAD SAW THIS ON WGN VIA CABLEVISION(WE HAD MOVED TO MS. BY THEN) AND TOLD ME ABOUT IT THE FOLLOWING MORNING. RELATIVES BACK IN CHICAGO CALLED AND SAID THAT CH. 11 WAS ALSO INTERRUPTED BY "MAX"! THAT WAS WILD!!
    Comment posted by 69TH&STONY on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 11:04 AM

    I would love to see those news reports, Fuzzy. This hijack has really captured my imagination.
    Comment posted by Akbar on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 6:44 PM

    I didn't see this at the time, because I was sleeping (I was in high school). My parents used to watch the comedian that was right before this (Dave Allen) so they turned off the tv before then. This was a big story at the time, even nationally. I've always hoped they'd catch the guy. Not because I cared if he got arrested. I just wanted to know how he did it. I think it's impressive that not only was he able to intercept a broadcast, but he never got caught. Maybe he's here lurking in the shadows. I wish he would appear somewhere since I'm sure statue of limitations has run out by now.
    Comment posted by LaPrincess on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 1:38 AM

    FYI, Mayor Harold Washington passed away on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day; Nov.25.1987. Not Thursday. Anyway it WAS a pretty peculiar week, With the Max Headroom pirating incident on WGN-TV & WTTW-TV to start it off & The sudden death of Mayor Washington to practically end it.
    Comment posted by Telenews on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 4:02 PM

    You've got to know that whoever hijacked WTTW's broadcast tower must have been a total loser living in their parent's basement with a lot of time on their hands and nothing better to do.
    Comment posted by CelesteK on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 3:07 PM

    Good idea. Let's try baiting him out of hiding with withering insults. ;-)

    Seriously though, they must have had some significant knowledge and equipment or access to said equipment, in order to pull this off.
    Comment posted by FuzzyMemories on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 3:11 PM

    > You've got to know that whoever hijacked WTTW's broadcast tower must have been a total loser living in their parent's basement with a lot of time on their hands and nothing better to do

    No I'm not ... I mean no he isn't.
    Comment posted by Polyrasmatazz on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 3:47 PM

    Ah ha! So tell us, was the spanking thing your idea or the girl's? ;-)
    Comment posted by FuzzyMemories on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 3:53 PM

    She was the mastermind ... I mean overpower WTTW from my parents' basement? I can barely receive WTTW in my parents' basement.
    Comment posted by Polyrasmatazz on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 5:08 PM

    Sorry. I was just saying that's all. :)
    Comment posted by CelesteK on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 6:56 PM

    I suppose this guy didn't know that Max Headroom was used to promote Coke not Pepsi?
    Comment posted by CelesteK on Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 8:56 PM

    I just heard that "Max" died awhile ago of cancer and the FBI won't release the name or gravesite due to consideration of his family. Can anyone verify or deny?
    Comment posted by Pete on Sunday, May 31st, 2009 at 3:10 AM

    "Oh, I just made a giant masterpiece printed all over the greatest world newspaper nerds." This is a reference to WGN, the initials stand for 'World's Greatest Newspaper". Also, the song he was singing is the theme song to Clutch Cargo, a staple cartoon of Garfield Goose.
    Comment posted by markmerlin on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 9:46 PM

    I really need to update the video description on this one.
    Comment posted by FuzzyMemories on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 10:45 PM

    Oh, yuck! My theory is that Max deliberately made the sound quality really bad, so that it would be harder to figure out who he is. What do you guys think?

    Comment posted by Detroiter, but Chicago Fan on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 7:59 AM

    Anything is possible with this story,Detroiter.
    Comment posted by Pete on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 2:13 PM

    I saw both times they hacked in. It was so funny and creepy. I don't know if it would be possible to do that sort of thing today, but some of the uptight networks and their completely lame TV shows could use a good hacking.
    Comment posted by amb1971 on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 4:57 PM

    Yeah. Whoever gets up the courage to do this again should hack every network that broadcasts those stupid "reality" shows.
    Comment posted by pacey988 on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 8:10 PM

    Now Fuzzy has posted some news broadcasts reporting the incident.
    Comment posted by Loyal32fan on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 10:14 PM

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    This clip has been viewed 51633 times.
    This clip debuted on FuzzyMemories.TV on Tuesday, October 16th 2007.

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    WTTW Channel 11 - "The Max Headroom Pirating Incident" (1987)
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