Broadcast signal intrusion

Broadcast signal intrusion is a term given to the act of hijacking broadcast signals of radio and television stations. Hijacking incidents have involved local TV and radio stations as well as cable and national networks.

Method of Intrusion

For analog stations it is relatively easy to break into the transmission network. All that is needed is to determine the frequency used in the studio to transmitter link, then generate a signal at the same frequency from a position near the transmitter site. The input stage of a cheap video sender can produce the right kind of signal. A low power microwave signal generator or a home made equivalent from easily available components provides the signal (which is pointed at the receiving dish antenna). Most larger stations encrypt their signal, in which case one would just jam the signal as is the case with digital. Most TV and radio stations are extremely vulnerable, but lack of knowledge has kept this from being a problem.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, the original penalties of signal hijacking were $100,000 in fines and/or 1 year in prison until late 1987 or early 1988, when Congress passed a bill that would penalize violators with fines up to $250,000 and/or 10 years in prison. Those who engage in such acts are oftenly referred to as "video pirates" or "video hackers". Hijacking the signal is considered a felony in the United States.

Actual Events

Captain Midnight on HBO

At 12:32 am Eastern Time on April 26, 1986, HBO (or Home Box Office) had its signal hijacked from its satellite tower in Long Island by a man calling himself "Captain Midnight". The interruption occurred during a presentation of The Falcon and the Snowman starring Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton. The intrusion lasted between 4 and 5 minutes and was seen by viewers along the East Coast. The man who during the interruption threatened to hijack the signals of Showtime and The Movie Channel, was later caught -- identified as John R. MacDougall of Ocala, Florida. He was prosecuted shortly there after. Authorities were tipped off by a man from Wisconsin in a phone booth at a rest stop off Interstate 75 in Gainesville, Florida. The man filing the report said that he overheard MacDougall bragging about it. He was fined $5,000 and served a year probation. McDougall stated that he did it because he was frustrated with the service rates constituted by HBO of which were unworthy of one's tolerance. He also said that it was hurting his business selling satellite dishes. The message broadcast by MacDougall read:

GOODEVENING HBO
FROM CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT
$12.95/MONTH ?
NO WAY !
(SHOWTIME/MOVIE CHANNEL BEWARE!)

Religious Takeover

In September of 1987, Playboy TV (then known as the Playboy Channel) -- based on the popular adult magazine, had its signal hijacked by a man later identified as Thomas Haynie who was employed by the Christian Broadcasting Network. He was convicted and was suspended from his duties under the new provisions. ^{[citation needed]}

The Hunt for Chicago's Video Pirate

On November 22, 1987, another person -- this time wearing a Max Headroom mask, intercepted the signals of two television stations in Chicago. Independent (now CW) station WGN-TV, owned by Tribune Company was first in line. Its signal was hijacked during the sports report on its 9:00 pm newscast -- this intrusion lasted about 25 seconds. Then came PBS station WTTW -- and unfortunately for WTTW, the Max Headroom pirate was seen and heard uttering obscene remarks and later posed nude by dropping his pants, and was then spanked before the screen went black. That interception occurred at about 11:00 pm in which at that time the station was transmitting an episode of Doctor Who, entitled Horror of Fang Rock and lasted almost 90 seconds. To this day, the man responsible for these infractions still goes unidentified. This incident got the attention of the CBS Evening News the very next day and was talked about nationwide. The HBO incident was also mentioned in the same news report, presented by Frank Currier. Both WGN and WTTW along with Chicago's other television stations are broadcast from high atop two of the world's tallest buildings -- the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center.

Fictional Events

In the 1980 film Used Cars, released by Columbia Pictures starring Kurt Russell and Jack Warden saw an incident of its own while they competed to provide the best deal on used cars.

Signal intrusion was the theme of an episode of The Max Headroom Show entitled Academy which aired on ABC on September 18, 1987. The slang used on the show to describe signal intrusion and intruders was "zipping" and "zippers".

In the 1991 film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, released by Orion Pictures (now part of United Artists) starring Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, William Sadler and George Carlin, the character Chuck De Nomolos played by British actor Joss Ackland points and shoots (what appears to be) a ray gun at a TV camera -- the camera then sends afterwaves to a satellite in outer space which in turn sends the same signal to every channel in the world.

In the 1995 film Hackers, released by MGM starring Angelina Jolie and Matthew Lillard, a team of computer hackers are seen broadcasting their own signal over multiple channels which contains the evidence they needed to prove the innocence of a falsely accused and imprisoned comrade.

In the 1987 film The Running Man, released by TriStar Pictures starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso and legendary game show host Richard Dawson, a group fighting the television network that airs The Running Man, a violent game show, uses broadcast signal intrusion to inform the public of the "truth" behind the show.

In the 1989 Tim Burton film Batman, based on the comic book from DC Comics and released by Warner Bros. Pictures starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker, a news program is interrupted by The Joker. In his broadcast, he warns the city that he has poisoned household items.

Graphic Examples

Image broadcasted by "Captain Midnight" on HBO.

Image broadcasted by "Captain Midnight" on HBO.

External links