He sang “your love is fading,” lyrics to “(I Know) I’m Losing You” by the Temptations. The figure flashed the finger at the camera, his middle finger covered in a rubber extension. Then he held up a can of Pepsi while reciting the Coca-Cola slogan “catch the wave.” Max Headroom was, at the time, being used as a spokesperson for Coke.Īfter that, the Max Headroom hack turned creepier. He mentions Chuck Swirsky, a WGN pundit, claiming to be better than him. “That does it,” the figure said, its voice distorted. However, unlike the 9:15 recording, this one had audio. The figure bobbed in front of the rotating background as before, the same creepy mask covering his face. Scan lines, like those at the beginning of a VHS recording, appeared followed by the familiar masked figure. Then, as suddenly as before, the video cut out. However, their search was unsuccessful, as the broadcast turned out to be a pre-recording, from a third party at a separate location.Īlmost exactly two hours after the first episode, the Max Headroom impersonator was back - this time on Channel 11.Īt 11:15 pm, the PBS affiliate WWTW was airing a Doctor Who episode titled “The Horror of Fang Rock.” Studio engineers assumed that the hijack was an inside job, and immediately began searching the building for the masked intruder. “Well, if you’re wondering what’s happened,” he said, clearly as confused as the viewers, “…ha-ha…so am I.”Īfter the brief interruption, Roan continued his previously scheduled broadcast. The figure bobbed around in front of the spinning background as buzzing noise played.Īfter 30 seconds, signal engineers at WGN, who broadcasted Channel 9, switched the frequency of the studio link to another transmitter, bringing Dan Roan back to audiences screens. There was hardly any sound, but the image was still frightening. Even the gray background behind the figure was reminiscent of the simulated background that appeared behind Headroom. and wearing sunglasses, the mysterious intruder was dressed like artificial intelligence television character Max Headroom. Then, fifteen seconds later, a new figure appeared.ĭressed in a rubber mask.
In fact, everything disappeared from the screen as it flickered into darkness. Tonight, however, it would be different.Īt 9:14, Dan Roan disappeared from the screen. It was his usual spot during Channel 9’s “Nine O’Clock News” segment, one he had been doing for years, always the same. On November 22, 1987, Chicago sportscaster Dan Roan was covering the highlights of the Bears recent victory over the Detroit Lions.