FM listeners and digital television viewers in Paris will experience overnight service interruptions as the transmitter site on the Eiffel Tower undergoes its annual maintenance.
TDF or Télédiffusion de France, the French telecommunications company that operates the country’s radio and television transmission networks, is conducting the work at the top of the tower.
“These operations aim to guarantee the long-term quality and continuity of FM radio and digital terrestrial television services broadcast to the Île-de-France region,” TDF said in a news release translated into English.
FM and DTT broadcasts will initially be interrupted for three nights, from July 28–31, from 12:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. FM radio broadcasts will be shut down for three additional nights, from Aug. 3–6, from 12:15 a.m. to 5:45 a.m.
“During these operations, some FM radio programs continue to be broadcast on the same frequencies using substitute transmitters, in order to limit disruptions for listeners,” TDF noted.
According to TDF, more than 20 technicians and specialists will perform the maintenance at altitudes exceeding 300 meters (984 feet) under strict safety and service continuity protocols.
“TDF teams work in particular on antennas and broadcasting equipment to check their condition, carry out the necessary checks and, if necessary, make certain replacements,” the release stated. “Tests on emergency stop devices, power supply tests and painting work are also carried out as part of this annual campaign.”
A historic broadcasting hub
“TDF broadcasts more than 30 national and local digital terrestrial television channels, as well as around 30 public and private radio stations, reaching 12 million inhabitants in the Île-de-France region,” according to the release. “This site thus constitutes a strategic hub for audiovisual broadcasting in the region, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round.”
Radio is, in fact, the primary reason the Eiffel Tower remains standing today. According to the Eiffel Tower website, the iconic structure built for the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle was scheduled for demolition after its 20-year land lease expired.
Desperate to justify its continued existence, builder Gustave Eiffel supported experimental wireless telegraphy transmissions from the site starting in 1898, when French scientist Eugène Ducretet successfully transmitted signals to the Panthéon, roughly 2.5 miles away.
Following Ducretet’s success, a permanent transmitter was installed atop the tower, successfully transmitting across the English Channel to London by 1899. The French military soon recognized its potential; Engineering Corps Capt. Gustave Ferrié expanded transmission tests to reach as far as 6,000 kilometers, or about 3,725 miles, by 1908.
“In 1909, a permanent station was built underneath the Champ de Mars,” the Eiffel Tower website said. “The Tower’s strategic interest was confirmed and Gustave Eiffel was granted an extension to his concession for another 70 years, starting on Jan. 1, 1910.”
