

The Oddity Archive is a web series that revolves around the "cultural dustbin", especially as it pertains to media. The Archive also functions as an actual archive of…
Documentary • Series • 2012 • 15 seasons
Starring: Ben Minnotte
Created by: Ben Minnotte
S1 E1 - The Max Headroom Incident of 1987
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.
Jul 5, 2012 • 12m
S1 E2 - Emergency Broadcast Salute
An informal (not to mention, loose) history of Civil Defense Broadcasting in the U.S.
Jul 19, 2012 • 17m
S1 E3 - TV Sign-offs
Remember when TV stations used to go off the air late at night? Anyone?
Aug 2, 2012 • 15m
S1 E4 - Local TV Special
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.
Aug 16, 2012 • 21m
S1 E5 - American EXXXtacy (and other C-band nastiness)
The Archive's most infamous episode--for some reason.
Aug 30, 2012 • 16m
S1 E6 - Conservative Folk Music
Meet the artists that made the likes of Joan Baez and Pete Seeger fear for their careers.
Sep 13, 2012 • 16m
S1 E7 - Format Wars
VHS or Beta? Laserdisc or CED? What the hell is a CED anyway? These burning questions (amongst others) answered in this episode!
Sep 27, 2012 • 21m
S1 E8 - 1-900-ARCHIVE
Join Ben as he launches his own 1-900 number. What could possibly go wrong?
Oct 11, 2012 • 21m
S1 E9 - Halloween Special 2012 (Strange VHS Endings)
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.
Oct 25, 2012 • 37m
S1 E10 - Captain Midnight / Vrillon
An Archive double header: The two most famous occurrences of Broadcast Signal Hijacking (well, save for the Max Headroom Incident) are discussed here.
Nov 8, 2012 • 14m
S1 E11 - Pay TV (but not Cable or Satellite)
The Oddity Archive will now be switching to scrambled mode. Please turn on your (preferably, circa 1984) decoder box now.
Nov 15, 2012 • 14m
S1 E12 - Top (Thanksgiving) Turkeys of the (19)90's
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.
Nov 22, 2012 • 19m
S1 E13 - Local TV vol. 2 (Kiddie Show Hosts)
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.
Dec 6, 2012 • 32m
S1 E14 - Christmas Special (A Fair Use Christmas)
All Ben wanted for Christmas was a silent night...
Dec 20, 2012 • 23m
S1 E15 - Teletext Heaven (or Hell)
Ceefax and Keyfax, Nite-Owl and Cable Chuckles, oh my...
Jan 3, 2013 • 16m
S1 E16 - Intermission
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!).
Jan 10, 2013 • 13m
S1 E17 - Prehistoric Television
Given how much we discuss TV on the Archive, a history lesson seemed in order.
Jan 17, 2013 • 16m
S1 E18 - gniksaM sdrawkcaB (Backwards Masking)
?segassem lanimilbus tahW ?huH Everyone knows there are no subliminal messages in music...(!slatrom nwod wob ,woN)
Jan 31, 2013 • 24m
S1 E19 - Valentine's Day Special (Dating Services)
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.
Feb 14, 2013 • 26m
S1 E20 - Local TV vol. 3 (Public Access)
Temporarily exiled from the big leagues of Internet TV, Ben (again, temporarily) sets up camp at his local Public Access outlet.
Feb 28, 2013 • 20m
S1 E21 - Protect & Survive
It's the feel-good episode of the year as Ben discusses the (in)famous British Nuclear War preparedness campaign.
Mar 14, 2013 • 16m
S1 E22 - Duck & Cover
Because you can (apparently) never have enough nukes...
Mar 28, 2013 • 17m
S1 E23 - Scary Logos (and other Nostalgic Video Terrors)
What is it about end logos and FBI Warnings that scared so many children of the VHS era?
Apr 11, 2013 • 23m
S1 E24 - Hell's Bells (The Dangers of Rock and Roll)
Can pure rock sound really hard-boil an egg? Of course not. It does make for some wicked "deviled" eggs though.
Apr 25, 2013 • 22m
S1 E25 - Employee Training Videos
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.
May 9, 2013 • 29m
S1 E26 - VHS Vault vol. 1 (Amvest Video)
Ever wanted to know the absolute root of the Oddity Archive? Well, it involves a creepy guy in a Hamster costume...
May 23, 2013 • 22m
Oddity Archive
The Oddity Archive is a web series that revolves around the "cultural dustbin", especially as it pertains to media. The Archive also functions as an actual archive of sorts, with a modest collection of off-air Betamax and VHS recordings (about 400 total as of June, 2014). There's also a decent collection of ephemeral video, "ripoff" and "drugstore" LP's/cassettes/8-tracks, as well as (working) obsolete technology.
Documentary • TV Series • 2012