Did You Know? The Max Headroom Broadcast Hijacking Remains Unsolved

On November 22, 1987, Chicago television viewers witnessed one of the strangest and most infamous broadcast intrusions in U.S. history. During two separate incidents that evening, someone managed to hijack the airwaves of WGN-TV and WTTW, replacing regular programming with a bizarre video of a person wearing a Max Headroom mask—the fictional AI character known for his glitchy, stuttering speech.

The first interruption occurred during a WGN-TV sports segment. Without warning, the screen cut to a person in a rubber Max Headroom mask and sunglasses, standing in front of a moving corrugated metal background, mimicking the digital effects of the original character. Although there was no coherent message, the image was disturbing and surreal. Engineers quickly took back control of the transmission after about 20 seconds.

Later that same night, during a Doctor Who episode on PBS affiliate WTTW, the hacker struck again. This time, the broadcast was completely taken over for nearly 90 seconds. The masked figure spouted cryptic phrases, mocked television personalities, and even exposed part of his body while an accomplice struck him with a flyswatter. The audio was garbled, making the monologue hard to understand, but the visual chaos left a lasting impression on everyone who saw it.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation, along with local law enforcement, but the perpetrators were never identified. Due to the sophistication required to override a station’s signal in 1987, many assumed the culprit had technical knowledge—possibly even someone working in broadcasting. Still, no arrests were ever made.

In the decades since, the “Max Headroom incident” has become a legendary unsolved mystery. It remains one of the most brazen examples of broadcast piracy in American history, made even more fascinating by the fact that it happened in the pre-digital age. Today, the footage is archived across the internet, where it continues to intrigue and unsettle a new generation of viewers.

The hijacking raises ongoing questions about media security, anonymity, and the motivations behind such a bold act. Was it a prank, a protest, or something more sinister? Until someone comes forward or new evidence is uncovered, the Max Headroom hacker remains a faceless symbol of analog-era rebellion—one that continues to echo through media lore.