I am not from Chicago (pretty much from the other side of the world) know nothing about the city in the 80s or the people in it, nor was I alive then. But it is one of those things that I pay a lot of attention from time to time.
If I was watching Dr. Who at the time at 11 PM with the lights off in bed and all of a sudden seen that signal I would literally be scared as fuck.
I would initially oddly assume it is apart of the show. But when he goes on the non-sensical rant and throws the Pepsi can away, I would realise something has gone very wrong with the broadcast and that fear the supernatural had occurred. I would even sleep away from the TV with the light on, in fear that the Max Headroom figure would jump out the TV and kill me in my sleep.
And because when things are scary to the observer, you want to make sense of it to be less scary.
So here is my take on who I think would've done it (based on all the related threads I've seen on Reddit over this).
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**Assumptions:**
It was not a disgruntled station employee. If you are disgruntled at one employer, you target one employer. You do not have the means or motive to hit two separate stations in one night.
It was not a tech-savvy amateur. The amplitude and power required to override a live broadcast signal in a major city is not something you build in a basement. This was professional-grade microwave transmission equipment.
It was not someone employed, learning, or on an internship in the industry. Anyone with a career still ahead of them would never risk criminal FCC charges, a destroyed reputation, and their entire professional future over a prank. The risk-reward only makes sense for someone who had already decided they were done.
It was almost certainly one or two people maximum. It has never been solved. Small numbers mean small loose ends.
**My theory:**
A young third-party contractor — someone who serviced the Chicago broadcasting infrastructure and knew the Studio-to-Transmitter link geometry across the high-rises — who had mentally already quit the industry. He knew which rooftops gave line-of-sight to both towers. He knew which Sunday night would have skeleton crews. He knew the equipment because it was his job.
WGN was the primary target. The content mocks WGN specifically. WTTW was an encore — two hours later, after the WGN attempt had audio issues but enough visual success to feel encouraged.
The props were random. The rant was improvised. There was no hidden message. This was a power trip from someone who felt dismissed by an industry he was leaving, and wanted one last moment of dominance over it before disappearing forever.
And it worked. He was never caught.
**What do you think?**