What is Local58?

In September 2017, a YouTube channel was created under the name "Local 58." From the time of its inception until last week, it was home to four found footage-style newscasts serving the greater Mason County area. The central premise of these reels surrounds a strange world event that appears to be occurring, compromising the very fabric of society as we know it. The channel is created by Chris Straub, known for creating various works of art and horror such as "Candle Cove" and "Broodhollow." While yes, these creations are notable, today we will focus on his "Local 58" series that recently returned to his YouTube channel.

The series originated in 2015. Straub, who runs a website called "Chainsawsuit" (home to his comic series "Broodhollow") made a post in October of that year claiming that he had sprung a surprise on a website called "

local58

." .info." This now defunct site would become our temporary home of the horror series with four uploads during the time the videos were created. The titles of these four include "You are on the fastest route available," "Weather Service," "Station ID," and "Contingency." As of last month, one more video was uploaded to the channel called "Kids Show". Each of them tells a particular story that references some type of apocalypse, and they all seem to be connected.

However, before we delve into some theories, I would like to explain each of the loads so far. To begin the next section, I'll go ahead and let you know that I'll present them in the order that I personally think they happen, with respect to the events that unfold. Not necessarily the chronological order of the website publication date. The Contingency is one of two foreshadowing episodes that I believe occur at the beginning of the series for a multitude of reasons. For starters, this is the only video of the bunch that shows film grain distortions, implying that this footage is the most primitive of all.

Additionally, you will soon notice that the design of the "Local 58" brand will change over time. What we have in this case appears to be an older style. In this video, we are shown an upcoming schedule showing the conclusion of our broadcast day. A message is then displayed saying "Have a good night" before a contingency message appears on the screen. Interestingly, it says that this message should only be used "in the event of a complete surrender of the United States to insurmountable enemy forces" and should never be used again after November 13, 1970. In this video, we will see one more messages like this dated 14 May 1975, implying that these PSAs are being tested for some reason.

That too; along with style; It places us in the approximate range of the mid-to-late 1960s, in an alternate history. I'll get to

what

I mean by this shortly. Anyway, before we continue, let's take a look at

what

we'll be unpacking. Now, the most disturbing part of this segment is the irony that surrounds it. The United States has fallen to an enemy force, and at this point in this timeline, we wouldn't be sure exactly what that enemy force is. "Even in defeat, we sing victory" is something that almost no one in any country would want to hear.

Going back to what I said earlier about an alternate history, one interesting thing to note about this is the inclusion of Lyndon B Johnson's signature. This contingency PSA will expire on November 13, 1970. However, Johnson's presidency ended on January 20, 1969. Or this is taking place in an alternate history in which Johnson actually became president for a second term, or this hoax is actually being broadcast. Before Johnson announced his unwillingness to run for re-election, just one little thing I thought was interesting. Anyway, this contingency message goes much, much deeper than this. This part of the video certainly appears to be direct manipulation, and looking at it from this perspective, piled on top of the positive images, is disgusting.

Also take a moment and think about this: even if they were testing a surrender PSA, what you're reading above would certainly be what the government would expect from you if this situation were really happening. Here we are shown messages such as "It is a privilege to be called to action," "You carry America with you," "Your bravery will inspire others," and "There is nothing to fear." The first time I see this it's especially disturbing, because if you were like me, you didn't understand exactly where they were going with this... ...until you saw it. "Place your snout up to the roof of your mouth", "Join your neighbors, your family, your God", "This message will be repeated until there is no one left to read it", and one of the most disturbing of all, " The position of victory." ". "Remember the three F's: front yard, face up, feet together." You are being manipulated into killing yourself, on television, to "preserve America's freedom." While this is grim, the fact that the Local 58 interpreting it as a hoax after it's all said and done is even more troubling.

Aside from the story, if anything, this episode really makes you think. Imagine if something like this aired in real life. people do you think would have been convinced and manipulated to commit suicide directly through a government public service announcement that they thought was real, especially during this moment in history. Back then, wouldn't you have the privilege of pulling out your smartphone to check? This Instead, this is definitely something that would be believable, especially if you watched it alone and at 3 a.m. The way this episode can become an interpretation of real life, especially during the Cold War period, makes this video is beautiful.

It's dark, disturbing, and gives 100% a remarkable start to this story. "Show for Children" is the most recent video that was released last month, and interestingly enough, it appears to be our second episode in this timeline. My reasoning for placing it here is due to the fact that instead of film grain, it appears to have VHS distortions and it's also the only episode that has absolutely no broadcast breaks or direct signs of Apocalypse. This, added to the style of the "Local 58" brand and the cartoon takes us ahead by about two or three decades, still preceding the events that would happen in the later videos.

Here, we are simply presented with a sinister omen within a peculiar children's show. In this video, we are introduced to our streaming list. First, we have a “Kids Show” at 4:15 a.m., a “Community Roundtable” at 5:00 a.m., “Culture Spotlight” at 5:20, and “Morning Local News” at 6:05. Now, before we continue, I just... I want to say, "Wait a second." "Show for children... ...4:15 in the morning." 4...15... in the morning! I don't know about you, but unless I was pulling an all-nighter with a friend, I definitely didn't get up at 4:15 in the morning when I was a kid. Besides, even if it was, a news channel like "Local 58" was definitely not something I was interested in watching.

If anything, he'd be playing video games or something, which makes the location of this show that much more sinister. Once everything gets going, we're presented with a title card showing a fictional "Thimble Pictures" cartoon called "A Big Mistake." This is a very, very notable omen that we must remember as we discover what this "serious mistake" actually is. So what we have here is a very dark cartoon about an innocent skeleton walking through a cemetery. Eerily, the moon stares at him with an eerie smile, almost as if he is waiting for the moment when the skeleton looks at her.

As the skeleton progresses, it encounters other people and their apparitions from when they were alive. However, after looking at their graves, we are presented with eerily crafted representations of these characters in their demise. After seeing the other two, our main character ventures to a third open tomb, where he realizes it is an empty abyss. After venturing into him, we can see him as he sadly walks aimlessly before lying down on his back in what appears to be exhaustion. Interestingly, the ending is when this whole episode starts to make sense. And here we finally see the "serious error." So the moon is the one that seems to be killing these people, and interestingly, this is playing on a children's show at 4:15 a.m. as scheduled, uninterrupted. ...Interesting...

Let's move on. This video seems to propel everything forward to the year 2014, solidifying the format we'll come to recognize for the rest of the series. Here, we can once again see a nightly broadcast schedule outlining the shows that will be broadcast and broadcast within the next two hours. This begins with a time frame for this video that takes place during the late hours of the night. With this, we are set to an eerily quiet music track playing in the background, giving us a strange but strong feeling of isolation... ...as if we are the only ones actually seeing this.

The program described above. Us is a show called "The Midnight Movie" at 12:05 followed by "Paid Programming" at 1:55. Curiously, the words "Paid Programming" are removed right after the channel appears to have been hijacked, instead playing a very strange dash cam feed that appears to start taking place from 1:57 in the morning. This, along with the time the paid programming was supposed to air, gives us the feeling that this is actually happening on the channel in real time, while also giving us a sense of time. One notable point about this is that the program shown to us now seems to show even programs that have already passed, and "Paid Programming" is the one that, in this case, was hijacked.

The dash cam feed shown to us appears to occur over a span of three and a half hours, beginning at 1:57 a.m. and ending around 5:30. In this, not much seems to happen other than a long night's journey, until the end when we find a little more than we had bargained for at the end of our route. (Dash Cam Audio) GPS: "Change route, U-turn." *static* (Dash Cam Audio) *muffled driving sounds* (Dash Cam Audio) GPS: "Head east for a quarter mile, then follow the 'Do Not Enter' signs." (Dash Cam Audio) *muffled driving sounds* (Dash Cam Audio) GPS: Continue on "unnamed road" and then at 300 feet, turn off your headlights. (Dash Cam Audio) *muffled driving sounds* (Dash Cam Audio) *Distorted/static growl* (Dash Cam Audio) GPS: "Redirection.

Make a U-turn, your destination is behind you." (Dash Cam Audio) GPS: "Redirection. In 500 feet, (Dash Cam Audio) GPS: Your destination will be in your--" (Dash Cam Audio) GPS: "300 feet, your destination--" "in 250 feet - -" "Rerouting your destination is 150 feet away--" (Dash Cam Audio) *Distorted Growl/Static* GPS: "You've reached your destination--" (Dash Cam Audio) *Distorted Growl* GPS, Warped: " You got arriiiiive--" (Dash Cam Audio) *Intense Growl/Roar/Static* Here, we are given our first glimpse of a strange creature that appears in these deep forests. However, for some reason, the GPS also seems to have been compromised somehow; directing our driver to the place of his disappearance.

Aside from this isolated encounter with this strange creature, the horror that has been foreshadowed over the years in this series is just beginning to take root. The dash cam footage in the video above takes place in November 2014. Fast forward to an undisclosed period of time, and we encounter another broadcast interruption that appears to be even stranger than before. In "Weather Service", we are shown a schedule that has "Public Eye" at 12:15 a.m., "Paid Programming" at 1:00 a.m., "City Council Minutes" at 1:30 and "Focus on the Faith". at 2:00. Immediately after this, we encountered another broadcast interruption. One interesting thing to note here is that this happens while "Paid Programming" is displayed again on the screen.

Following our previous revelation about the "Paid Programming" discontinuation, I think it's safe to assume that the events that follow are happening once again during this time frame, which puts us at around one in the morning. Once we encounter what is happening on the screen, it becomes clear that this is a broadcast interruption about a certain weather event that will soon occur. Have a look. At this point, we are shown quite a few complicated images that would certainly scare anyone watching this in real time. Initially, the broadcast is interrupted by an emergency alert about a weather advisory followed by a clarification informing us that this is actually a weather event and will last until tomorrow morning.

Then, immediately after this, we are told not to observe the event with the naked eye. This whole fiasco takes an even stranger turn when the "Local 58" insignia reappears on the screen as if they were subtly trying to return to theirregular programming. Then we see another list; however, this time it starts at 2:15, which ominously is the time of a show called "Blood of the..." ...something. Before we can see the last word, the broadcast is interrupted again, this time showing a civil danger warning that gives us very contradictory information. At this point, it appears that "Local 58" is struggling to contain an emergency alert that is undoubtedly hijacked.

Since the federal government sends them, it's safe to assume that they are being hacked by a third party who encourages them to do the exact opposite of what the government warns them about. Apparently this event seems to involve "the moon", whether it is actually the moon they were referring to or some other similar circular object in the night sky is something we will get to shortly. Are the supposed moon, the strange creature and the third party that encourages us to look at it connected? It definitely seems that way. Additionally, the camera footage of the moon entering the frame appears to be combined with audio of a crowd of people shouting... ...a very notable point to remember.

Before we wrap up this episode, I'd like you to take a look at the ending real quick. *Reading Text* Hmm... Let's come back to this later. To me, "Station ID" seems to take place immediately after "Weather Service"; in fact, I'm almost certain it's a direct sequel to the events that took place before, featuring several cryptic messages that appear to be from "Local 58" itself. While it appears their transmission is being compromised, we see text on the screen informing us to look away, that this doesn't matter, and that there are other receivers, followed by the message "safety in numbers." This seems to strongly imply that "Local 58" is trying to inform people that something is very wrong.

The state of the media as we know it is being hijacked and seeking safety in numbers by looking the other way and turning off the media... This largely implies that at this point the world is in a state of panic ... .but why? In short, we have our first Cold War event showing a hoax about mass suicide to preserve the freedom of a fallen America. Years later, we have a children's show that happens late in the morning, at 4:15 in the morning. In this one we see a sinister moon that seems to be waiting for the moment when the main character looks at it, and when he does, he dies.

Decades after this, we get our first strange break in the broadcast showing a long night drive; a foreign encounter with a strange creature that seems to kill them. What follows is a contradictory broadcast warning informing us for and against looking at the moon, as it is a civil danger; and at the end of said episode, we have a narration that says “It is in the light”, “The moon entered”, “It found me”, “Through the looking glass”, “White moonlight”, “I am drowning in it” . ," and "We will look together;" and finally, we are presented with a message that says, "Look away," "This doesn't matter," and "Safety in numbers." I think, with all of this, there is a story notoriously broad to follow regarding this series.

I firmly believe that "Local 58" is a long-term found footage compilation of events that occurred on the channel during a hypothetical alien invasion. So we have "Local 58". an ordinary local news channel that broadcasts media typical of a public channel. Over the years of its existence, different media outlets have been broadcast at wildly different times to foreshadow the events that would lead to the demise of the world, as shown in "Contingency" and "Show for Children". However, during the invasion, this particular channel and possibly others are being hijacked and invaded by these creatures shown in the video "You are on the fastest route available." ".

With this, they are informing people to do the exact opposite of the government-mandated civil danger alerts. I believe that the supposed moon referred to is actually not the moon but the light of a UFO that is turning people into these monsters, capturing them or killing them outright. This "weather event" is nothing less than a slow but steady extraterrestrial takeover, and the "You are on the fastest route available" video appears to be the beginning of the actual invasion taking place, showing us the creatures' faces. behind this phenomenon. Let's start with "A serious mistake." This entire cartoon, from start to finish, is a one-to-one reference to everything that would happen in real life in the later videos.

We have our character following his normal day, meeting his friends who died while looking at the supposed moon before dying the same way. Afterwards, we even get a strikingly similar shot of the moon as it moves into the frame. Now consider this: there is simply no way "Local 58" isn't involved here. With this it seems to me that; What if they have allowed these alleged kidnappings to occur? It seems that in "Contingency" they are playing with the art of the deceptive message, right? In fact, what if there was never any invasion to begin with? What if the entire series of interruptions, from start to finish, were aimed at instilling fear in people, fueling a wildfire of conspiracies about an impending alien invasion that never actually happened? ...It seems too simple to me. "Accidentally" showing a fake contingency message followed by a cartoon about a very specific type of death, then cutouts depicting a real-life event of eerily similar proportions, just makes it seem like it was all done intentionally by "Local 58." . and that in fact they are complicit in this.

However, the question I have, and which I hope will be resolved in more recent uploads, is: Why? After a long hiatus, I am pleased that "Local 58" has returned to allow the continuation of this incredible story. I love this TV show. If you haven't already and have about 20 minutes to spare, go to their channel and watch their episodes. Chris Straub has done a phenomenal job tapping into the fear of emergency alerts and I can't wait to see what comes next. With all that being said, I would like to thank you all for joining me in researching the "Local 58" web series.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the series. Before we go, I would like to say a huge thank you to the latest internet researchers who have pledged a whopping sum of $15 a month to help keep my channel alive and running. Many thanks to Li Ling, Ivan from The Movie Void and Siprano Solis. Seriously, I'm very grateful for your help. Thank you so much. Anyway guys, thanks so much for watching. See you next time. I love you all and good night.