Local58.tv

**local58.tv** is the "archived" website for Local 58. Its pages contain cryptic and distorted images of diagrams and informational articles not unlike those from the Local 58 Archives. The site that supposedly archived the Local 58 website, LookBack Web Archive, is a parody of Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and a reference to the episode A Look Back.

## 1999

The 1999 page shows Local 58's website in its most primitive form. Tabs to the right labeled "Public Access," "Current Events," "careers," and "Archives" all redirect to the page you're already on while the "Schedule" tab links to the Local 58 YouTube channel.

At the bottom of the page is a distorted and hard-to-read photocopy of an article regarding a television component called a vestigial lowband filter. It talks about what the device does and how it must be completely replaced if a maintenance issue arises, since tampering with it is illegal. The image itself seems to come from the appendix of some publication issued by the Civil Broadcasting Authority, the agency that coproduces the Skywatching TV show. Adjusting the brightness and contrast of the image reveals a QR code hidden in the bottom right corner that, when scanned, reads the phrase "parasite : host :: inhabitant : environment".

## 2001

The 2001 pages originally could only be seen and accessed by clicking on the 1999 page first. The first 2001 page only displays an "internal server error" that encourages the reader to contact the server administrator to inform them when the error occurred and anything the reader might have done to cause the error. In a reference to the real world open-source software Apache HTTP Server, the error reveals that the software running the Local 58 web server is called "Apogee," an astronomical term for the point when the Moon has orbited its furthest distance from the Earth.

The second 2001 page displayed a similar error message, but it also contained a more legible article about magnetic tape called "The Era of Home Recording". Another hidden QR code can be found in the image, this time in the TV screen pictured furthest to the right. When scanned, it reads "a predator cannot differentiate prey from accomplice". The article for the most part explained the different uses a consumer could have for magnetic tape, but the ending sentences read the following:

"*Time, at once both warden and thief, laid low by gossamer loops of air and iron. Here is a greater, finer memory than that of men.*

*Before the gilded doorsill of our master's silent house, we lift our mortal eyes along its wide forgotten stair, and fix them thereupon an empty throne.*"

The second 2001 page was later replaced. Now, it is a more stylized version of 1999 page with pictures, waving American flag gifs, and decorative versions of the tabs on the left side of the page. The "All your favorites" section now has images of the Contingency-era Local 58 station ID, the Public Eye and Still Life intros from A Look Back, Skywatching's intro from Skywatching, a never-before-seen late-night movie block, and the 2000s Local 58 station ID.

Interestingly, entering the file names of the Public Eye, Late Movie, Still Life, and 2000s ID images (p\_eye.jpg, latemov.jpg, stilllfe.jpg, and 990s.jpg respectfully) after the 1999 page's web cache reveals entirely new images. The Public Eye and Late Movie images both seem to be distorted pictures of people, the Still Life image shows a newspaper article entitled "Buildings Set for Demolition Despite Historical Status," and the station ID image shows a distorted transcript that appears to read the following:

"*641H-CV-10538*

*DATE: 03/22/2007*

*(Background noise)*

*RM: [indecipherable(~6 letters)]--d since then there were no issues...*

*(SC)*

*IO: ...How the new method affects this?*

*RM: Basically it goes around the safeguards. It invalidates the safeguards.*

*IO: Show (U) all but the ones in question.*

[1-4lines of *indecipherable text*]

*(SC)*

*IO: ...This has been through the proper channels. This comes from the C.D.A. The attendes[not sure but i know the last 3 letters are "des"] weren't pushing for this but by now there's, they've adopted the protocol.*

*RM: Right. It's these outliers that are the concern.*

*IO: How would you proceed with bringing them in line?*

*RM: What I, once there's a list of, you know, callsigns, we can pull the records of their equipment and see who's the furthest behind on this. (U) And I'm willing to bet they're not in service anymore, or licenses have lapsed and so forth. So it's likely only a handful of operators. [no more data to go off of(I want to say there's at least 1 more sentence but that's just me)]*"

Doing the same process with the Contingency-era ID (broadcastday.jpg) links to an unlisted video on the Local 58 YouTube channel called "NSSA-3 (atypical)". It shows 58 seconds of television static where small images like bright blue streaks, vaguely visible faces, and the 2000s Local 58 station ID appear. However, trying this process with the Skywatching image (skywtch.jpg) only displays the same image that was on the 2001 page. "The Era of Home Recording" article from the original second page can still be accessed by going to the first 2001 page and entering the file name shown on the page, /usr/local58admin/server1/, into the page's URL in place of web20010109lbk/.

There are two additional images that can be found from the 2001 page, by entering /images/ and then the file name. admin.gif is an image of a handshake that appears to be for a sixth link that would be placed below Archive. back.gif is an altered version of back2.gif, the image of a city with the Local 58 logo in it.

## 2017

The 2017 page leads to the Local 58 YouTube channel, which was created on September 30, 2017 and began seeing uploads on Halloween that same year.

## 2021

The first 2021 page is the one you're taken to if you type "local58.tv/digital" into a web browser. It repeats information that can be found in the episode Digital Transition about how the Local 58 TV station will switch from analog to digital broadcasting on July 13, 2021 and that those with analog TV sets will need a digital converter box to properly watch the channel. It is cited in the episode Digital Transition as a resource viewers can use to receive a free digital conversion kit for their analog TVs.

After the page shows a glitchy image of a digital converter box, it continues by saying that readers can ask an electronics retailer or call [622-5580|(845) 622-5580] to see if they're eligible for a free digital conversion kit. Just when the text tells readers that “there are other receivers” to choose from if they are ineligible or missed the availability window, the whole page devolves into a series of garbled and discolored screen grabs from Local 58 broadcasts.

The second 2021 page used to open up the episode Digital Transition in browser, but now it displays another faux server error message and a heavily distorted photocopy of another book page. It appears to possibly have text near the bottom center of the page that reads something like "RESEARCH PROSPECT-".

## 404 Not Found

An otherwise inaccessible page can be found by typing a ~ after the 1999 page's web cache. It reads "Not Found / The requested page could not be located." A small blurb of indecipherable text also appears on the page that, when copied and pasted, reads "beyond a certain point watching is no different from doing". The text on this page flickers, revealing concealed text that reads "Not Blood / What you need is no longer there".

## Gallery

LookBack Web Archive logoVestigial Lowband Filter from the 1999 pageThe Era of Home Recording hidden in the first 2001 pageThe digital converter box from the first 2021 pageDistorted screenshots of Local 58 broadcasts from the first 2021 pageThe image under the new second 2021 pageThe hidden web cache image of p\_eye.jpgThe hidden web cache image of latemov.jpgThe hidden newspaper article from stilllfe.jpgThe hidden transcript from 990s.jpgThe doubled text from the 404 Not Found page