Local 58

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Local 58
Local58 WCLV-TV logo.svg
The station ident for Local 58 WCLV-TV, the fictional channel featured in the series.
GenreFound footage
Psychological horror
Surrealism
Created byKris Straub
Written byKris Straub
Directed byKris Straub
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes9
Production
AnimatorKris Straub
Release
Original releaseOctober 26, 2015 (2015-10-26) –
present
External links
Website

Local 58 is a YouTube horror anthology web series created by web cartoonist and author Kris Straub.[1] Currently hosted on the YouTube channel LOCAL58TV, each video in the series is presented as footage of a fictional public access television channel located in Mason County, West Virginia named Local 58, with the call sign WCLV-TV, created in the late 1930s, which is continuously hijacked over a period of decades with a series of broadcasts of ominous and surreal videos. While the series does not appear to have a continuous plot, nearly every episode seems to include cryptic references related to looking at the Moon or at the night sky, as well as references to the in-universe organization known as the Thought Research Initiative (TRI).

The series makes use of video and audio degradation to add to the realism and unsettling nature of each video.[2] The series describes itself as "analog horror",[3][4][5] a term that has since been used as a name for a niche subgenre of similar VHS-themed found footage web series that were either inspired by Local 58 or use a similar style and techniques to the series.[6][7] The series was initially hosted on the now-defunct web domain local58.info[1] in 2015[8] and was later uploaded onto YouTube in 2017[9] and 2018. The series has since gained a cult following.[1]

A website (local58.tv) was released in September 2021 as an extension of the main storyline. The website features a "LookBack Web Archive" similar to the web archive service Wayback Machine. It features numerous easter eggs and plot points for an associated alternate reality game that offers further detail on the series's continuity.

Episodes[]

Local 58 consists of nine episodes, each ranging in run time. The episodes were originally uploaded to a separate website, however, as of late 2018, all episodes are now uploaded to YouTube.[1]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Weather Service"Kris StraubKris StraubOctober 26, 2015 (2015-10-26)
A programming schedule broadcast at midnight is interrupted by an EAS message from the County Weather Service warning viewers of a meteorological event taking place, and advising viewers not to look at the event until the alert expires. Normal programming resumes, but is then interrupted again by a more urgent EAS bulletin. The station is then hijacked, with the hijacker altering the EAS messages, claiming that the meteorological event is safe and that the warning has been lifted. They then directly urge viewers to go outside. A struggle to gain control over the station then appears to take place between the initial broadcasters and the hijacker. While almost being completely obscured, the first party frantically attempts to issue warnings to the viewers while the second attempts to cut off these messages. Local 58 briefly returns to normal programming for a few seconds before a final sequence of EAS messages air, in which it appears that the second party has been successful in gaining control of the station and posts a sequence of delirious, cryptic messages, detailing how they were brainwashed by what appears to be the Moon itself. After initiating a final message, the feed cuts to a live view of the Moon while distant sounds of people screaming are heard, before cutting to black.
2"Contingency"Kris StraubKris StraubJanuary 16, 2016 (2016-01-16)

The station signs-off for the day and starts broadcasting SMPTE bars. The broadcast is then suddenly interrupted with an emergency alert from the fictional "Department for the Preservation of American Dignity" (DPAD) and a written message from President Lyndon B. Johnson set to "The Star-Spangled Banner", claiming that the military of the United States has been defeated by that of a foreign nation. The message, printed on a telop slide, states that all Americans are 'called upon to ACT' to 'preserve the memory of the United States clear and bright… untarnished and uncompromised.'

After the message concludes, a heavily distorted rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" plays as the broadcast continues. The DPAD urges viewers to commit mass suicide to prevent the enemy force from capturing them. After informing viewers that local law enforcement are to 'ensure your compliance' and that it is 'against the law to delay' - implying that anyone who resists the order to commit suicide shall be executed - the broadcast then states that it will repeat 'until there are none to read it', and recommends suicide by gunshot. They also suggest, if time allows, the 'Victory Position', a ritualistic posture where at least one person lays flat on their back on their front lawn before shooting themselves.

After instructing viewers to euthanize their children and pets, then delivering the statement that 'THE 51ST STATE IS NOT A PLACE', the erroneous broadcast is suddenly halted. Local 58 airs a retraction claiming that the message was a hoax, and apologizes for the error. However, visible behind the message is a second slide instructing the station to claim the footage was a hoax in the event of an accidental broadcast, indicating that everything seen up to the hoax slide was a real contingency plan intended for use if such events were to ever take place in reality.[10]
3"You Are On The Fastest Available Route"Kris StraubKris StraubJune 19, 2016 (2016-06-19)

A programming schedule for the channel abruptly cuts to static and gets replaced by footage from a dashcam recorded on 21 November 2014, involving a driver following a GPS satnav. The drive mostly consists of the GPS's directions and it informing the driver that they are "on the fastest available route." After a while, the footage cuts to the driver driving though the middle of a forest on an unpaved road, with the GPS's directions having become increasingly suspicious, instructing the driver to follow the no entry signs, to continue on an unnamed road and to park the car and turn off the headlights.

Having followed every instruction without fail, the driver complies, bringing the car to a complete stop with the lights out. After a few seconds, a loud roar can be heard. The driver quickly turns the headlights back on to reveal a bipedal creature in the road. The feed suddenly cuts to the driver driving away from the creature with the GPS repeatedly telling the driver to turn around. The GPS rapidly counts down the distance in feet as the roars become louder, revealing the creature itself to be the destination. After abruptly freezing, the feed then cuts forward to the car now lying sideways with the windshield cracked. One last roar is heard as the feed glitches out, with the GPS finally announcing in a slow, malfunctioning tone that the driver has arrived at their destination.[11]
4"Station ID"Kris StraubKris StraubNovember 2, 2017 (2017-11-02)

Serving as the channel's trailer, the video consists of a series of cryptic messages, which read the following:

ANALOG HORROR AT 476 MHz

WE BEGIN OUR BROADCAST DAY

LOOK AWAY

IT DOES NOT MATTER

THERE ARE OTHER RECEIVERS

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

The video then abruptly cuts to black.[12]
5"Show For Children"Kris StraubKris StraubJuly 30, 2018 (2018-07-30)

A programming schedule transitions to a bumper and then to a rubber hose animation cartoon titled "A Grave Mistake", which features an anthropomorphic skeleton named Cadavre. The cartoon opens with Cadavre walking through a graveyard at night with the Moon smiling overhead. He comes across an open grave, wonders if his lover may be inside, and decides to peek. Inside the grave is a realistic skeleton, which frightens Cadavre and causes him to run away. He finds another grave and decides to check inside again, only to be frightened by a birdlike creature.

As the soundtrack completely cuts out, Cadavre, now visibly tense, continues through the graveyard while the Moon stares down at him. He looks into another grave and descends into it, entering a cave. After wandering through the cave for some time, he reaches another open grave. Exhausted and unable to climb out, Cadavre lies face up on the ground. From his perspective, a giant, realistic rendering of the Moon can be seen moving over the hole of the grave. The view cuts back to Cadavre, who has seemingly died and turned into a lifeless, realistic skeleton.[13][14]
6"A Look Back"Kris StraubKris StraubAugust 27, 2018 (2018-08-27)
A compilation of the history of Local 58, shuffling through the fictional channel's various past logos in chronological order, gets hijacked, and messages begin to flash on the screen similar to those shown in Station ID. The broadcast then becomes a montage of short clips from previous episodes of the series, intercut with glitched footage of normal television broadcasts. After a few more messages are shown, the station's broadcasting returns to normal.[15]
7"Real Sleep"Kris StraubKris StraubDecember 19, 2018 (2018-12-19)
A personalized VHS recording made by the Thought Research Initiative (TRI) begins playing and starts with a simple "myth or fact" game about sleeping, claiming that dreaming is not essential to mental health. It then displays a visual of monitored brainwaves called the "Kleitman Map," implying that the video was personally designed to prevent dreams by applying an inverse of the map. The video then cuts to a segment where four sequences are introduced in a manner similar to the flashed face distortion effect. Sequence one tells the viewer to look directly at the center of the screen as faces flash at the viewer. Sequence two has two faces slowly merge until the face fades away. Then, sequence three instructs the viewer to repeat the phrase "there are no faces" several times as heavily distorted faces flash on the screen. Sequence four then begins to flash a number of ominous subliminal messages, while "there are no faces" repeats one more time, eerily slowed down. The video concludes with the viewer being told that they have now completed the real sleep program, and to avoid seeing a doctor.[16]
8"Skywatching"Kris StraubKris StraubNovember 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
Following a broadcast schedule, an episode of Skywatching begins, but is suddenly cut out, accompanied by the sound of a high pitched, distorted scream. The footage is replaced by an amateur broadcast by a man taking footage of the night sky through his camera. The man aims the camera at Orion's Belt and the Pleiades, then after changing his camera's lens, begins filming the Moon, referred to as 'HIS THRONE' by onscreen text. The cameraman then shows close ups of the Moon's surface with moving clouds, seemingly organic formations, and strange artificial constructions. The Moon then fades away. As the cameraman changes the lens again, a loud noise can be heard as the Moon reappears, now far larger in size. A Thunderbolt air raid siren sounds, and the cameraman adjusts the brightness of the camera pointing at the Moon, showing it being consumed by something from the bottom. The cameraman then walks towards the Moon with his hands raised as the siren abruptly cuts out. Onscreen text then appears saying "REJOICE" before the screen cuts to static.[17]
9"Digital Transition"Kris StraubKris StraubOctober 31, 2021 (2021-10-31)
On July 13, 2021, Local 58 is preparing to undergo a digital switchover at midnight. Following the conclusion of a normal airing of an episode of One Step Beyond, the channel airs a tribute bumper depicting numerous eras of the station’s 82 year history (1939-present) and its broadcasts. The end of the bumper shows Local 58's new logo, with an extended tagline "Community Digital Television." The switchover takes place, but as the clock passes midnight, the broadcast becomes increasingly corrupted, and the analog signal persists, visible behind that of the digital signal’s output, insisting that the digital switchover has been postponed. The entity controlling the analog signal then begins broadcasting a sequence of cryptic messages themed around betrayal alongside footage from Weather Service. Having gained full control over the station’s digital signal, the entity issues another sequence of messages alluding to its connection with the Moon. A distorted face appears on screen before the broadcast cuts out entirely, hastily replaced with a legal warning from the FCG - an in-universe agency based on the real world FCC - about 'unauthorised analog reception'.[18]

Development and reception[]

Straub used iMovie to create the first two episodes of Local 58 and Final Cut Pro X for the other episodes.[19] All of the assets used in the series either come from public domain stock media (for example, the "2000's" Local 58 music, a stock track called "Entering Graciously")[20] or created by Straub himself using Clip Studio,[21] Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Flash.

Since its initial debut, Local 58 has inspired the creation of other series with similar themes, including Channel 7 of Tempest Universe and the series .[22]

As of December 23, 2021, Local 58 has over 483,000 subscribers and more than 17,167,673 views with just nine videos.[23]

A subreddit dedicated to the series was created on August 8, 2016, and currently has 20,900 followers as of December 3, 2021.[24] Many fans of the series have created theories as to the possible meanings or overarching narrative of the videos, both on the subreddit and on YouTube. Straub himself has answered some questions about the series on the subreddit.[25]

The emergency alert shown in Contingency has been compared to the 2018 Hawaii false missile alert.[26]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d LaVigna, Chris (2019-07-15). "Tune in… Or Else: Kris Straub Has Created a Viral Internet Nightmare With 'Local 58'". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  2. ^ Devarakonda, Mythili (2021-02-11). "'Local 58': What inspired the fictional crime web series?". Film Daily. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  3. ^ ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - STATION ID, archived from the original on 2021-04-22, retrieved 2021-04-21
  4. ^ "LOCAL58TV - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  5. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ58 ＴＶ is creating analog horror". Patreon. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  6. ^ "Analog Horror". TV Tropes. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  7. ^ What is Analog Horror?, archived from the original on 2021-04-20, retrieved 2021-04-21
  8. ^ Devarakonda, Mythili (2021-02-11). "'Local 58': What inspired the fictional crime web series?". Film Daily. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  9. ^ ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Weather Service, archived from the original on 2021-06-05, retrieved 2021-04-21
  10. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Contingency - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  11. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - You Are On The Fastest Available Route - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  12. ^ ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - STATION ID, archived from the original on 2021-04-22, retrieved 2021-04-26
  13. ^ "Cadavre - Broodhollow". Broodhollow. Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  14. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Show For Children - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  15. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - "Ａ Ｌｏｏｋ Ｂａｃｋ" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  16. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Real Sleep - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  17. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Skywatching - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  18. ^ "ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Digital Transition - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-01. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  19. ^ krisstraub (2019-11-19). "hi, i make local58. AMA about the technical/visual/audio process!!". r/local58. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  20. ^ Entering Graciously, archived from the original on 2021-07-23, retrieved 2021-04-24
  21. ^ ＬＯＣＡＬ５８ＴＶ - Skywatching, archived from the original on 2021-04-14, retrieved 2021-04-21
  22. ^ Paul, Andrew (October 18, 2019). "A Good Place: The public access channel from hell". The Outline. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  23. ^ "LOCAL58 - COMMUNITY TELEVISION's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". socialblade.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  24. ^ "r/local58". reddit. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  25. ^ krisstraub (2020-05-07). "it is absolutely to …". r/local58. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  26. ^ "Wanna See Something REALLY Scary? Local 58 Contingency Emergency Broadcast". Dread Central. 2018-01-19. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.

External links[]

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