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Nikodemus' Window
Jan. 31st, 2008 10:41 am"Even before Channel 9--the last of the city's broadcast stations--went off the air in 1985, the pirate TV wizards of Channel Spider had attracted a number of devotees. Remarkable for its irregular schedule, its eccentric programming, and its ability to broadcast even over television sets which are otherwise unusable, 'Spider' (as it is informally referred to by viewers) is mysterious and at times controversial. Its means of broadcast and the location of its studios are unknown. Some have postulated that no studios in fact exist, and that Spider is either a mobile operation or a signal sent from another dimension, reality, or beyond the shell that encloses the city. . . . Spider generally broadcasts only for a few hours a day. There are exceptions, such as the May Day Musical of 1981, when for twenty-four hours straight Spider showed the studio apartment of an obese man who sang the entirety of Cole Porter's catalog to himself while going about his daily routine. Similarly, during the fiery rampage of pyromancer Cyril de Saavedra (see p.402), Spider kept a single camera trained upon the Martin & Martin Flour Building, showing the roof and upper floors as they collapsed and burned down out of frame. . . . Spider's most popular shows include 'The Orville Trask Hour,' airing most Tuesday and Thursday evenings, in which the former Channel 9 weatherman, now institutionalized, comments (often incoherently) on current events. Certain of Trask's sayings have become popular catch-phrases in the city, notably 'Look into it' and 'Time to burp!' (Officials at the hospital where Trask is convalescing express bewilderment at the broadcasts, and say they have found no trace of a camera within his room. They also say point out that a common side effect of Trask's medication is gastro-intestinal distress.) . . . By far the most talked-about show on Spider, though, is 'Nikodemus' Window,' a 30-90 minute show which airs nightly around sunset. Sets click on (adding to the wizardly reputation of Channel Spider is the fact that it tunes itself in on every set in the city, including those lacking cathode tubes or other working parts) to a shot of a glassless window in a stone wall, through which trees and shrubbery are seen. The picture stays fixed upon this sight, sometimes zooming in or out or becoming unfocused, as voices talk over it. Sometimes the voices are easily heard. Sometimes they are speaking English. Sometimes they speak other recognizable languages, and sometimes they appear to be speaking in tongues, or perhaps struggling to breathe. . . . The topics of conversation on 'Nikodemus' Window' have ranged from corruption in the Mayor's office to rat gigantism to the best way to spice a squirrel stew. (The topic of rodents, both literal and symbolic, is one that recurs noticeably on the show.) . . . At times citizens have claimed to have been participants in the broadcast conversations, leading to speculation that agents of Spider are recording people throughout the city. 'Nikodemus' Window' has, in fact, broadcast several conversations consisting of theories as to the nature of Channel Spider in general and the show specifically. . . . At times the vocals on 'Nikodemus' Window' have been drowned out by a feedback-like buzzing, through which some claim to hear a single voice which has been variously named King Spider, the Devil, or Yellow Man (for the choppy video image of a screaming face which some claim is being broadcast subliminally between the frames of the show)." (p.392-4)
