Off the Hook: 1988-1989

The very first edition of "Off The Hook" aired in October of 1988. But it wouldn't become a regular series until October of 1990. In between these two dates, there were specials and fill-ins as well as the short-lived "Fifth Corner" series, all of which incorporated subject matter of interest to hackers and the technically curious.

Hear the first mentions of Kevin Mitnick, the Galactic Hacker Party, and Operation Sun Devil. Interviews with Cheshire Catalyst, Alan Rubin, John Markoff, Richard Matthews, Rop from Amsterdam, Steve Jackson, John Perry Barlow, Mark Green, Craig Neidorf, Julian Dibbell, Peter Barnes, Sheldon Zenner, Phiber Optik, Paul Edwards, Larry Berman, Scott Chasin, Chris Goggans, Joel Shapiro, Katie Hafner, Mr. French, Wilt Hildebrand, Charles Rowles, Jack Brooks, Tom Dunleavy, "Joybubbles", and Winn Schwartau. An exclusive interview with Big Audio Dynamite is also included as well as unfolding coverage of the Gulf War.

This description as well as all descriptions below come from the Off The Hook CD Collection.

Filename
Size
Description of the Audio

1988-10-06-oth.rpm 17044896
Off the Hook Special and Prototype Show (October 6, 1988)
This is the very first edition of Off The Hook and there's an interesting story behind its airing. The program was originally scheduled to air as a one hour special in July of 1988. It was slotted for Friday at 1:30 pm. At precisely that minute, a fire on the transmitter floor of the Empire State Building knocked every radio station in New York City off the air. Off The Hook was Off The Air. Radio time was at a premium and it took months to reschedule the show. Finally, it aired on a Thursday night from 1 am until 3:30 am. The first half hour is a formal documentary while the rest is informal live radio which includes a call from at least one not-yet-famous hacker. To capture the essence of both airings, we have included the very beginning of the failed broadcast moments before the station was knocked off the air and merged that with the successful airing months later. The volume level is low for the first portion, which lasts only a few minutes. Featured: a documentary on teleconferences featuring excerpts of local conferences, advertisements; interview with Cheshire Catalyst; Dutch hackers talk to American hackers on an illegal conference; a social engineering Alliance teleconference; and a live WBAI teleconference.

1989-06-12-oth.rpm 8645964
Off the Hook Prototype Show (June 12, 1989)
This was Emmanuel's first show since the 1988 Off The Hook special. This was a Monday evening fill-in for Margot Adler's Unstuck In Time program. The show focused on the Shoreham nuclear power plant, recent events in Tienamen Square, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

1989-07-25-oth.rpm 7560652
Off the Hook Prototype Show (July 25, 1989)
This edition of Off The Hook aired more than nine months after the pilot. It was a special fill-in program and dealt with the story of Kevin Mitnick. The "dark side" hacker had just been sentenced to a year in prison. Guests: Alan Rubin, Mitnick's lawyer, reporter John Markoff, and computer hacker Richard Matthews. We hear the revelation that Mitnick was held in solitary confinement. Also, talk of the Shadowhawk sentencing. Listen for Phiber Optik calling in as a listener.

1989-09-00.rpm 7739700

1989-09-14a-oth.rpm 11150208
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (September 14, 1989)
This was a Thursday morning at 3:30 am fill-in for a program called Out of the Shadows. Topics include Emmanuel's trip to Europe, the Galactic Hacker Party, and selections from Brain Damage Inc. (an in-house production of funny phone calls and comedy sketches). This show is in two parts and includes fundraising.

1989-09-14b-oth.rpm 6345256
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (September 14, 1989)

1989-11-08a.rpm 7594028
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (November 8, 1989)
Although not an edition of Off The Hook, this early broadcast had many of its elements. It came about as a double fill-in. The first section is a fill-in for Robert Knight's Earthwatch program and it contains much discussion of the ongoing New York Telephone strike. Reference is made to a previous fill-in program a week or so earlier which was apparently a similar show done in Peter Lamborn Wilson's overnight slot. No known recording of that program exists. Also included in this edition are recordings from Brain Damage Inc., a call to the new automated repair service and the automated credit service which were originally made on the WUSB Brain Damage program, and a feature entitled Confuse The Operator. The second section is a fill-in for Sidney Smith's overnight show. Talk of election results, Confuse The Operator, the first call from dedicated WBAI listener Monroe, the horrors of French phone cards, Bill the Comic, the New York Telephone strike, phone service during the San Francisco earthquake. This show is in four parts.

1989-11-08b.rpm 7389420
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (November 8, 1989)
1989-11-08c.rpm 7559556
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 3 (November 8, 1989)
1989-11-08d.rpm 4740636
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 4 (November 8, 1989)
1989-11-29a.rpm 10913340
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (November 29, 1989)
Wednesday morning 1:00 am fill-in for Tom Whisker on a program called Weaponry. Topics include U.S. policy in El Salvador and changes in Eastern Europe. Tapes from Radio Moscow are featured. This show is in two parts.

1989-11-29b.rpm 7460580
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (November 29, 1989)
1989-12-06a.rpm 11318108
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (December 6, 1989)
Another Wednesday morning 1:00 am fill-in for Tom Whisker's Weaponry show. The topic is flag burning and features Dave Blaylock and Joey Johnson. This show is in two parts.

1989-12-06b.rpm 8142236
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (December 6, 1989)
1989-12-13a.rpm 10544156
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (December 13, 1989)
The last of the Wednesday morning 1:00 am fill-ins for Tom Whisker's Weaponry program. Guest: Craig Demmer, a South African in the United States facing deportation for evading the draft. This show is in two parts.

1989-12-13b.rpm 8483620
Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (December 13, 1989)

There are 16 files for a total of 142,632,356 bytes.

Filename	Size	Description of the Audio
1988-10-06-oth.rpm	17044896	Off the Hook Special and Prototype Show (October 6, 1988) This is the very first edition of Off The Hook and there's an interesting story behind its airing. The program was originally scheduled to air as a one hour special in July of 1988. It was slotted for Friday at 1:30 pm. At precisely that minute, a fire on the transmitter floor of the Empire State Building knocked every radio station in New York City off the air. Off The Hook was Off The Air. Radio time was at a premium and it took months to reschedule the show. Finally, it aired on a Thursday night from 1 am until 3:30 am. The first half hour is a formal documentary while the rest is informal live radio which includes a call from at least one not-yet-famous hacker. To capture the essence of both airings, we have included the very beginning of the failed broadcast moments before the station was knocked off the air and merged that with the successful airing months later. The volume level is low for the first portion, which lasts only a few minutes. Featured: a documentary on teleconferences featuring excerpts of local conferences, advertisements; interview with Cheshire Catalyst; Dutch hackers talk to American hackers on an illegal conference; a social engineering Alliance teleconference; and a live WBAI teleconference.
1989-06-12-oth.rpm	8645964	Off the Hook Prototype Show (June 12, 1989) This was Emmanuel's first show since the 1988 Off The Hook special. This was a Monday evening fill-in for Margot Adler's Unstuck In Time program. The show focused on the Shoreham nuclear power plant, recent events in Tienamen Square, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
1989-07-25-oth.rpm	7560652	Off the Hook Prototype Show (July 25, 1989) This edition of Off The Hook aired more than nine months after the pilot. It was a special fill-in program and dealt with the story of Kevin Mitnick. The "dark side" hacker had just been sentenced to a year in prison. Guests: Alan Rubin, Mitnick's lawyer, reporter John Markoff, and computer hacker Richard Matthews. We hear the revelation that Mitnick was held in solitary confinement. Also, talk of the Shadowhawk sentencing. Listen for Phiber Optik calling in as a listener.
1989-09-00.rpm	7739700
1989-09-14a-oth.rpm	11150208	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (September 14, 1989) This was a Thursday morning at 3:30 am fill-in for a program called Out of the Shadows. Topics include Emmanuel's trip to Europe, the Galactic Hacker Party, and selections from Brain Damage Inc. (an in-house production of funny phone calls and comedy sketches). This show is in two parts and includes fundraising.
1989-09-14b-oth.rpm	6345256	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (September 14, 1989)
1989-11-08a.rpm	7594028	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (November 8, 1989) Although not an edition of Off The Hook, this early broadcast had many of its elements. It came about as a double fill-in. The first section is a fill-in for Robert Knight's Earthwatch program and it contains much discussion of the ongoing New York Telephone strike. Reference is made to a previous fill-in program a week or so earlier which was apparently a similar show done in Peter Lamborn Wilson's overnight slot. No known recording of that program exists. Also included in this edition are recordings from Brain Damage Inc., a call to the new automated repair service and the automated credit service which were originally made on the WUSB Brain Damage program, and a feature entitled Confuse The Operator. The second section is a fill-in for Sidney Smith's overnight show. Talk of election results, Confuse The Operator, the first call from dedicated WBAI listener Monroe, the horrors of French phone cards, Bill the Comic, the New York Telephone strike, phone service during the San Francisco earthquake. This show is in four parts.
1989-11-08b.rpm	7389420	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (November 8, 1989)
1989-11-08c.rpm	7559556	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 3 (November 8, 1989)
1989-11-08d.rpm	4740636	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 4 (November 8, 1989)
1989-11-29a.rpm	10913340	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (November 29, 1989) Wednesday morning 1:00 am fill-in for Tom Whisker on a program called Weaponry. Topics include U.S. policy in El Salvador and changes in Eastern Europe. Tapes from Radio Moscow are featured. This show is in two parts.
1989-11-29b.rpm	7460580	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (November 29, 1989)
1989-12-06a.rpm	11318108	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (December 6, 1989) Another Wednesday morning 1:00 am fill-in for Tom Whisker's Weaponry show. The topic is flag burning and features Dave Blaylock and Joey Johnson. This show is in two parts.
1989-12-06b.rpm	8142236	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (December 6, 1989)
1989-12-13a.rpm	10544156	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 1 (December 13, 1989) The last of the Wednesday morning 1:00 am fill-ins for Tom Whisker's Weaponry program. Guest: Craig Demmer, a South African in the United States facing deportation for evading the draft. This show is in two parts.
1989-12-13b.rpm	8483620	Off the Hook Prototype Show, Part 2 (December 13, 1989)