Episodes
1. The Max Headroom Incident of 1987
July 5, 2012
12 min
On the night of Sunday, November 22nd, 1987, a mysterious figure in a Max Headroom mask hijacked two Chicago TV stations. Spoiler alert: The perpetrators were never found.
2. Emergency Broadcast Salute
July 19, 2012
17 min
An informal (not to mention, loose) history of Civil Defense Broadcasting in the U.S.
3. TV Sign-offs
August 2, 2012
15 min
Remember when TV stations used to go off the air late at night? Anyone?
4. Local TV Special
August 16, 2012
21 min
Interested in seeing a clown so laid-back, he forgets he's on camera? Now about a Hawaiian teen idol with a pen fetish? Maybe an American Bandstand ripoff with an evil spirit hosting? If you answered yes to any of these questions, watch this episode--then seek immediate professional help.
5. American EXXXtacy (and other C-band nastiness)
August 30, 2012
16 min
The Archive's most infamous episode--for some reason.
6. Conservative Folk Music
September 13, 2012
16 min
Meet the artists that made the likes of Joan Baez and Pete Seeger fear for their careers.
7. Format Wars
September 27, 2012
21 min
VHS or Beta? Laserdisc or CED? What the hell is a CED anyway? These burning questions (amongst others) answered in this episode!
8. 1-900-ARCHIVE
October 11, 2012
21 min
Join Ben as he launches his own 1-900 number. What could possibly go wrong?
9. Halloween Special 2012 (Strange VHS Endings)
October 25, 2012
37 min
We still get a lot of flack for this episode (did you really think there were 37 minutes of odd VHS endings out there?). Nonetheless, it's still a favorite.
10. Captain Midnight / Vrillon
November 8, 2012
14 min
An Archive double header: The two most famous occurrences of Broadcast Signal Hijacking (well, save for the Max Headroom Incident) are discussed here.
11. Pay TV (but not Cable or Satellite)
November 15, 2012
14 min
The Oddity Archive will now be switching to scrambled mode. Please turn on your (preferably, circa 1984) decoder box now.
12. Top (Thanksgiving) Turkeys of the (19)90's
November 22, 2012
19 min
Because we always like to go the extra mile (at least, when it's convenient), the Archive tackles TWO lists of the worst of the (19)90's: The top 4 Trendy Turkeys and the top 4 Technological Turkeys of the (again, 19)90's.
13. Local TV vol. 2 (Kiddie Show Hosts)
December 6, 2012
32 min
The 13th episode is a very unlucky one for Ben as he discusses some (all too often, rather off) U.S. Kiddie Show hosts from the early 1950's through the late 1990's.
14. Christmas Special (A Fair Use Christmas)
December 20, 2012
23 min
All Ben wanted for Christmas was a silent night...
15. Teletext Heaven (or Hell)
January 3, 2013
16 min
Ceefax and Keyfax, Nite-Owl and Cable Chuckles, oh my...
16. Intermission
January 10, 2013
13 min
It's movie day at the Archive! Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, you're not invited. But, at least you can join us for an intermission reel (conveniently containing all Public Domain footage!).
17. Prehistoric Television
January 17, 2013
16 min
Given how much we discuss TV on the Archive, a history lesson seemed in order.
18. gniksaM sdrawkcaB (Backwards Masking)
January 31, 2013
24 min
?segassem lanimilbus tahW ?huH Everyone knows there are no subliminal messages in music...(!slatrom nwod wob ,woN)
19. Valentine's Day Special (Dating Services)
February 14, 2013
26 min
Join Ben as he discusses some of the Dating Services of the 1980's to present. And, if you're good, maybe Ben will let you join him in his own quest for a date.
20. Local TV vol. 3 (Public Access)
February 28, 2013
20 min
Temporarily exiled from the big leagues of Internet TV, Ben (again, temporarily) sets up camp at his local Public Access outlet.
21. Protect & Survive
March 14, 2013
16 min
It's the feel-good episode of the year as Ben discusses the (in)famous British Nuclear War preparedness campaign.
23. Scary Logos (and other Nostalgic Video Terrors)
April 11, 2013
23 min
What is it about end logos and FBI Warnings that scared so many children of the VHS era?
24. Hell's Bells (The Dangers of Rock and Roll)
April 25, 2013
22 min
Can pure rock sound really hard-boil an egg? Of course not. It does make for some wicked "deviled" eggs though.
25. Employee Training Videos
May 9, 2013
29 min
Things have gotten so dire at The Archive that Ben's been forced to take a "real" job. Join him as he takes a look at his potential employers' training videos.
