WTTW and WGN 'Max Headroom' Incident

I remember, quite a few years ago now. It must have been around November in 1987.

Presently, I have a degree in Psychology. However, I remember I was on exchange to Chicago in November 1987. I remember me and my (at the time) best friend Brett were finishing our case notes in the lecture hall. We were late, and we had not done our notes the night before, so we took it as our responsibility to do them now. Not many lights were on, only a small, insignificant "main" light, and our desk lights illuminating our work. I finished first, dating and naming my work. Brett finished right after. We both stood up simultaneously, and we both wandered over to the Professor's Desk and left our notes on there for her to find the next day. The University was still open, so we decided to go to our common room and turn on the television. Brett, who lived in America and was not an exchange student like me, was mad about his sport. He did not like reading, as he wasn't a 'reading' person so he couldn't check the sports results in the Newspaper.

When we entered our common room, amogst a bunch of gossip and some other obscene magazines, we found the remote for the main television. As it was only 1987, it was a small, low quality one, however, it was our ONLY one. We then turned the television on to channel 1 and discovered the news was not on at that time. We then went channel flicking, with Brett sat down, making himself confortable. Brett pressed the + button on the remote several more times until re rached channel 9. The sports was on, just like Brett was looking for. Dan Rohn, the sports commentator was speaking the results of the American Football match which was played earlier in the day. As I looked on, rather bored something shocked me.

Dan Rohn stopped speaking, and upon closer look, the television was blank. I turned to Brett, and said "What the hell did you do?" He replied:

"Don't ask me, I didn't do anything!"

Almost as soon as Brett finished his sentence, some static was seen and heard by the both of us. Then, out of nowhere there was a shrill, loud buzzing noise, and the picture was this unknown man wearing a 'Max Headroom' mask. Blonde hair, strange smile and the sunglasses? He was behind the infamous 'rotating garage door'. He was moving almost spastically and it was almost like he was trying to say something, perhaps convey a message, but alas, it could not be heard. He was still moving as me and Brett looked in, our eyes wide. Still looking, I moved to the doorway and turned on a light as the only light in the room at that time was the television and a small lamp. The shrill buzzing then stopped and eventually, 'Max' cut to black and the News resumed as normal. If you thought this was our imagination, you were wrong. Dan Rohn, the sports commentator had widened eyes and said: "Sorry about that, wer honestly have no idea what just happened..." Dan's sports segment then ended.

Me and Brett weren't scared easily, as we had seen a lot of horror movies together and had both seen 'The Exorcist' and loved it and wouldn't stop talking about it for a week or two. So we both thought: Huh, it must have been nothing. A hijacker of the signal, I guess. So it didn't really bother us.

Later that night, when I was out at my Aunt's (Who lived in Chicago at the time) apartment, it happened again. Aunt was in the kitchen, which wasn't a seperate room, the kitchen was simply a stretch or worktop, cupboard and oven and fridge behind a simple breakfast bar. I was sat on the sofa, facing away from my Aunt, looking at the television. Looking at the wall, I noticed the clock and then saw the time. I called over to my aunt, without getting up or even so much as turning round, "Can I switch to Doctor Who please?"

My aunt replied: "Sure."

I then laid down to get myself more comfortable as I now had the entire sofa to myself. I then lazily grabbed the remote of the nearby coffee table. I then pressed 11.

It was a Doctor Who episode, just as I knew it. It was 'Horror of Fang Rock' which I identified almost instantly, (I was a bit of a Doctor Who fan at the time) Leela (the Doctor's companion at the time) and the Doctor were talking. I then made myself more comfortable, seeing as I had seen this episode years before, so I thought I might as well see it again. Another man, (I forgot his name now) was talking to Leela, and after he finished the line: "I'll get you a hot drink" You could then see him walk off and then, just like before, a wave of static. 'Max' had returned. This time, there was no buzzing and you could physically HEAR what Max was saying. He started giggling and saying things in a feminine manner like: "That guy's such a nerd" And eventually, you could hear him humming the tune to 'Clutch Cargo'. Then after speaking some more random SHIT the camera cut to something else. It was still Max, but there was two people this time. Max began pulling his trousers down and bending over, after taking off his mask. Then a unknown person (Face not shown) who looked SCARILY like a CHILD began grabbing a stick-like object, it may have been a ruler, and began SPANKING MAX. Max was moaning in both pain and pleasure and this continued for a number of seconds longer, before Max grabbed the camera and stopped the video. The screen then cut to black. After a few MORE seconds the screen cut back to Doctor Who and the episode continued as normal.

Both me and me aunt were in shock for a while and we both wondered what the fuck just happened.

After some modern research the act was caught on tape.

To this day, 'Max' is still at large.

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