The Tape Library - Archive of the Paranormal & the Unexplained - Most Disturbing TV Hjackings | Broadcast Signal Intrusions

Episode Date: October 3, 2022

For decades, hackers have been hijacking TV station signals and broadcasting strange, disturbing and in some cases hillarious images in place of normal programming. From the Max Headroom incident to Vrillion, we're going to be taking a look at some of the most scary and disturbing incidents of broadcast intrusions. You can check out The Tape Library in video form on Youtube at www.youtube.com/thetapelibrary Stock footage and additional audio courtesy of Envato Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thetapelibrar... Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetapelibr... Archive of the Paranormal, the strange and the unexplained. The Tape Library brings you the creepiest stories, to keep you horror junkies up all night. True tales of ghosts, cryptids, UFOs and true crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine this scenario with me for a moment. It's a dark, rainy night in the late 80s. You obviously don't have the internet, but you do have something that brings you daily information, entertainment, and some kind of false sense of community. Your television. The big TV sat in your family's living room,

glowing its warm familiar glow. Your family have all heads. it off to bed, but you've snuck down to catch some late-night television. You have no idea what you might find, but the world of late-night television feels so much more exciting than what you are used to seeing during the day. The safe, sanitised entertainment, your parents let you watch, so you settle down, wrap a blanket around yourself and begin flicking through the channels. This wasn't as exciting as you had expected.

Nothing is really grabbing your attention. You stop on a repeat of an old science fiction show. You aren't particularly interested in it, but it's better than going to bed, right? You sit there watching the show. Your eyes growing heavier as time passes. When all of a sudden, something breaks you out of your sleepy haze. The image of your show starts to flicker, fading in and out. The sound becomes distorted until suddenly, the face appears.

It appears to be staring directly at you. It begins to speak, almost as if this person, or whatever it is, is speaking to you directly. But nothing they say makes sense. jumbled, hard to hear, or just outright incomprehensible. Creeping sensation runs down your spine as you realise you are watching something that shouldn't be here. The safety of the old science fiction show is gone. The warm, comforting glow of the television has instantly transformed into a piercing light. The burns are placing you that you can't quite describe.

The sanctuary of your home has been invaded by this. unknown intruder. And then, as quickly as he appeared, the figure is gone. Your show fades back into existence, as if nothing had ever happened. Your mind is racing with questions. Who was that? How did they get into my TV? Did anyone else see that? Am I going mad? You've just witnessed a rare phenomenon of something that breaks the day-to-day normality. so many of us have been accustomed to. For a brief moment, an unknown entity has entered your life. In a way you feel they shouldn't be able to.

You have just witnessed a broadcast signal intrusion. The airwaves have been hijacked. Was it a harmless prank? Or could it have been something far more sinister? Join me on this next episode into the tape library. As we take a look at some of the most disturbing examples, of TV hijackings. Where better to start than one of the most infamous events to have ever taken place in the world of broadcast intrusions. Chapter 1

The Max Headroom Incident WGN is an independent television network based in Chicago. The incident took place on a cold November night in 1987. Just a boring night like any other night. The station was playing its segment, recap it is a game. recap in the day's sporting news. Little did they know they were about to become part of a mystery

that to this day remains unsolved. Suddenly, viewers of Channel 9 all around Chicago saw their screens turn black for 10 seconds, before their signal returned with a bizarre new look. On screen, someone was in what appeared to be a mask of the popular character, Max Headroom.

He was dancing around, on screen, swaying from side to side, while the metallic background behind him, twisted and contorted. The only sound that could be heard was a loud distorted buzzing. This surreal image must have been extremely disorientating. And while on paper, the imagery itself doesn't seem to be all that disturbing. It's a combination of this person being somewhere they shouldn't be, and the uncanniness of the entire scenario that makes the whole incident so unnery. The first incident being accompanied by a buzzing made the situation all the more unsettling.

There, at least in the first instance, appeared to be no message. It was just there. Someone had hacked into a television network and decided to send this image out to thousands of people. And the audience at home would have no idea why. The staff in the WGN control room were in a state of panic, running around, trying to regain control of their network. The unknown hackers managed to keep their intrusion going for just under 30 seconds, before the station was able to change their frequency that was heading out to the station's transmitter,

and the audience was quickly back to their regularly scheduled broadcast. Sports newscaster Dan Rowan said, as he returned to the air, if you're wondering what's happened, so am I. McMahon and McKinnon 14-0 Bears, then the defense, hadn't put up a sack in 12 quarters, finally did. Well, if you're wondering what's happened. So am I. Actually, the computer that we have running our news from time to time

took off and went wild. So what we're going to do is start over from the top of the bears and tell you once again about the 30 to 10 victory they had over Detroit today out at Soldier Field. We'll show you from the top and show you again the change that they made today. But this twisted version of Max Headroom wasn't done with the population of Chicago just yet. Two hours later, on a local PBS station, WTTW,

broadcasting of an episode of Doctor Who was about to be hijacked. The show was interrupted, and the familiar face of Max Headroom once again filled the screen. But this time, the audience could hear him. What followed was a seemingly random series of comments from the distorted voice of Max, making references to a sportscaster from the earlier station's hijack, quoting the real Max Headroom's lines from the recent advertising campaign for New Coke, and singing a cartoon theme song. But then the intrusion took an even stranger turn.

Max starts screaming that they are coming to get him, then bends over while an unknown second person starts spanking him with what appears to be a fly swatter. The heavily distorted voice of Mack shouts for mercy before the image is once again interrupted and the viewer is returned to Doctor Who. This time the hijackers were able to stay on the air for over a minute. If you listen to what Max is saying, this entire thing appears to be nothing more than an anarchic prank.

But the sheer randomness and unexpected nature of the hack is what makes this entire incident so scary. Both the FCC and the FBI launched investigations into the incident, and in recent years many internet sploofs have had their turn trying to track down the elusive hijackers. But despite some interesting leads that unfortunately went nowhere, to this day, 35 years later, no one is any wiser as to who this group of television hackers.

as were, or what their motivations may have been. You should talk often with the old ones of your tribe. That is the only way to learn. I'll get you a hot drink miss. Why? He's some dry clothing. Because he's a fricking nerd. He's got the cheques wasting.

What can not fool? Yeah. Massive electric shot, he died instantly. The generator? Are you always so careful? Chapter 2. The Disney Hacks. The Disney Channel has been the subject of more than one broadcast intrusion. Whether this is a poor taste prank or something much more sinister, I'll leave for you to decide.

In 2007 in the small area of New Jersey, an episode of Handy Mandy was playing on the Disney Channel. When it was suddenly interrupted by adult content for sexual nature, It took the station a while before they were able to get control of their signal once again. Reportedly, it was the work of a disgruntled Comcast employee. However, no one has ever been officially named as the culprit. If that wasn't bad enough, just a few years later in 2012, a similar incident occurred when an airing of Lilo and Stitch was interrupted by pornography. As I said, while these may have been pranks or works of an angry employee,

There is something rather dark about exposing children to pornographic content with their morning cartoons. Chapter 3. Threats of nuclear war In the Czech Republic, there is a channel that is popular with tourists that shows around-the-clock images of the beautiful Czech countryside, who have a focus on ski results. But one Sunday morning in 2007, viewers hoping for a nice relaxing backdrop to their breakfast, were met, with something much more concerning. The camera was panning over a beautiful shot

of the mountains in the area, when the image was suddenly filled with a blinding light. The camera was shaking as the image faded back in to reveal a mushroom cloud. Understandably, the viewers were freaking out. But luckily, all that it amounted to was a handful of irate calls to the television station once it was revealed to be a hoax.

This is one of the few cases we're looking at today where the perpetrators actually came forward, An award-winning art group claimed they had managed to hack into the channel and added in a 30-second CGI clip of a nuclear explosion into that day's broadcast. While I'm sure the viewers were caused a great deal of stress from the shocking image, imagine what would have happened at a time and place, where nuclear war felt like it could realistically break out at any moment. In Russia, 1966, during Cold War tensions between the US and Russia.

A hacker took over a network broadcast, running a message that claimed the US had launched its nuclear missiles at Russia, and had officially declared war with the USSR. It was quickly discovered to be a prank, with the government claiming a teenager had found a backdoor route into the system. Who knows what might have happened during such a period of highest intention if it hadn't been discovered to be a prank so swiftly? Chapter 4. Messages from above. In Australia 2007, during an airing of the Canadian TV show May Day, for six minutes, the audio from the show was replaced with the words, Jesus Christ, help us all Lord, being repeated, over and over again. Strangely, the network denied that this was a prank or an intrusion into their system, claiming the audio was actually a part of the original broadcast. It was later discovered that the audio was taken from a news report from the same network that had played the previous year.

A clip of someone being shot at in an active war zone. It is still unknown who was responsible for this intrusion, or why this audio was added in. Southern television in the UK was the home of what would arguably be the second most famous incident of a broadcast signal intrusion. when it appeared they had received a message from an alien race. On November 26, 1977, the Sunday evening news was suddenly interrupted. The audio was replaced by the deep distorted voice of a being who referred to himself as Varyllium, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command. Vryllian spoke for six minutes about how his people had visited Earth many times,

but now was the right time for them to make contact with us. Telling the audience, mankind would prosper, became with a message that the human race would need to discover peace, claiming the time for conflict had now passed, stressing that we only have a short time to achieve this. Once again, the perpetrator has never been found. I'm going to play you Verillion's full message to see us out of this episode. but we've only touched the surface of examples of this phenomenon.

If you want to hear more tales of signal intrusions that involve zombies, political protests, and much more weird stuff, then let me know in the comments and I'll do it part two. So if that said, I'll leave you with the message from the Ashtar Galactic Command, a message that unfortunately is as relevant today as it was in 1977. The Rhodesian nationalist leader Bishop Abel Muzarewa has accepted Mr. Smith's offer to negotiate an internal settlement based on one man, one vote. But he says there are conditions. These include stopping the execution of all captured prisoners of war. In Australia, Mr. Kay Pack and his cricketers are still being in the right, just of his high court decision, which is the ban on them playing in test measures.

This is the voice of the law. Representative of the Earth's Dark Galactic Command speaking with you. For many years you have seen us as lights and the stars. We speak to you now. You so listen as we have done to your brothers and sisters all over this, your paradise. We come to rule you the destiny of your race and your world so that you make it unique to your fellow beings the cross you must take to avoid the disasters threatens your world, and the themes are locked worlds around you. This is an older way we share in great awakening as the planet forces into the New Age Aquarius.

The New Age can be a great peace and emotion. Your race are going to meet. Your runners are made a world. This is that going to be still know your choice. No, your child's may not come again. Of evil must be removed. The time for conflict is now past, and the race of which you are apart may proceed to the higher stages of its evolution. If you show yourselves worthy to do this, you have but a short time to learn to live together in peace and goodwill.

Small groups all over the planet are learning this, and exist to pass on the light of the light. on the light of the dawning village to you. You are free to accept the reject the key to change. It doesn't be there as well. Many goes wide as long. Then they run out. Respect to me for now,

the voice of Ramon, representative of the hashtag galactic command speaking to you. Be aware also that there are many false habits and guides of present operating on your program. They will suck your energy from you. The energy you will hold money and will put it to evil enemies,

giving you worthless cost in return. But do not divine self to protect you from this. You must be so stupid to voice in it. That can tell you what is true and to. To listen for the voice of truth to do. It's such as a... Really appreciate That we can't

I insist How delicious All of the really choice ingredients I can I can hunt us I'm next to Can't have nine lives Well

Seek only to know yourself and just start with the ways of your daddy-dorf. With you the Asthmael galaxy command, I'm to feel of attention. You are not leaving things of your existence. May you be blessed. I was a supreme of bunch of the country of apartments. Finally back home, engineers are trying to trace the source of what they call a rogue transmission, which lasted about six minutes during ITN's early evening news bulletin. It affected viewers in the Berkshire and Hampshire area

served by the Hannington transmitter. They heard a voice which cut across what I was reading. The voice said, Earthlings, lay down your arms. This is a message from outer space. Or thousands of viewers later phone cell and television, the police and ITN here. A spokesman for the independent broadcasting authority said

this is the first incident of its kind in Britain. Winchester police said some people were frightened by the hoax message. They said they sent an officer to calm down one woman. Well, I hope nothing's interrupted this bulletin wherever you are this evening. From all of us here, good night.