The following is a transcript of the emergency broadcast that interrupted regular Local 58 programming on the evening of October 30th. The original broadcast ran for forty-seven minutes. This transcript represents the portions that have been verified by multiple viewers. Some sections could not be verified, as viewers who watched the full broadcast have been unable to describe the final eleven minutes in detail.
HR
COLOR BARS. TONE. SEVEN SECONDS.
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM CHIME.
MALE VOICE (flat, official register): This is a message from the United States government. This message is being broadcast on all available frequencies. This is not a test.
PAUSE. NINE SECONDS.
MALE VOICE: Citizens are advised not to look at the moon.
PAUSE. FOUR SECONDS.
MALE VOICE: Do not look at the moon. Do not approach windows. Do not go outside. Remain where you are. Remain calm.
EMERGENCY TONE. SUSTAINED FOR THREE SECONDS.
MALE VOICE: The situation is ongoing. Government authorities are working to resolve the situation. Citizens in all affected areas — and all areas are affected — should remain indoors with curtains drawn. If you have looked at the moon in the last forty-eight hours, you are advised to remain calm and report any unusual symptoms to local authorities as they become available.
PAUSE.
MALE VOICE: Symptoms include: persistent ideation, the compulsion to go outside, the compulsion to look up, the conviction that something is beautiful, the conviction that what is beautiful must be seen completely.
LONGER PAUSE. SEVENTEEN SECONDS. DURING THIS PAUSE, VIEWERS REPORT A LOW SOUND BENEATH THE SILENCE — DESCRIBED VARIOUSLY AS STATIC, AS BREATHING, AS SOMETHING THAT IS NEITHER.
MALE VOICE: Do not go outside.
VISUAL SHIFT: The color bars are replaced by what appears to be a field. Night sky. No moon visible. Correct. The camera is looking down, not up. This is correct behavior. This is the behavior recommended by this broadcast.
MALE VOICE: We would like to demonstrate appropriate conduct.
THE CAMERA BEGINS TO SLOWLY PAN.
MALE VOICE: Do not follow the camera's motion. Keep your eyes on the ground. If you cannot control where your eyes go, close them and do not open them until the broadcast has ended.
THE CAMERA CONTINUES TO PAN UPWARD.
MALE VOICE: Appropriate conduct has been demonstrated. We understand that many of you will not follow this demonstration. We understand that the nature of the situation makes this difficult. We want you to know that this is understood. We do not blame you.
THE CAMERA REACHES THE SKY. THE MOON IS NOT VISIBLE IN THIS PORTION. CLOUDS.
MALE VOICE: The moon is beautiful. The beauty of the moon is not in question. The question is what the beauty requires of you. Whether beauty that requires everything of you is still beauty, or whether it has become something else.
HR
Viewers who watched past the forty-minute mark have described seeing the camera complete its pan. None of them have been able to describe what was visible in the sky at the completion of the pan. When pressed, they describe the experience uniformly: "I remember looking. I remember that it was beautiful. I don't remember anything after that."
Local 58 resumed regular programming at 11:58 PM. No official explanation was given. The broadcast was not listed in the program schedule. The FCC received two complaints about the interruption. Both complaints were filed as "content not conforming to scheduled programming." Both are marked closed.
Do not look at the moon.