Ian Baxter of the shortwave transmitter group points out two TV reportages on the closure of the French shortwave broadcast transmitter site near Montsinery, French Guyana. The site was opened in 1985 in order to strengthen reception of Radio France Internationale in both North & South America as well as West & Central Africa.
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| These massive shortwave antenna towers in Central France worked well for North Africa, but signals into Latin America were not competitive. Hence the decision to build a site in the Northern part of South America. |
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| Later the towers in Issoudon were replaced with a new more compact design. These antennas are rotatable. |
From local news reports, it seems that 6 employees at the site will supervise the station's dismantling operation over the next 9 months.
Nice shots of the Montsinery facilities on Google Earth at the moment by Pierre Basson.
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| Impressive shot of one of the antennas in Monsinery, French Guyana, now silent as shortwave is phased out completely for Latin America. |
1 comment:
David Ricquish says to this post on Facebook: More to come I'm sure. The retreat from state SW radio in the western democracies is gathering pace. A medium in deep transition. Aside from the technology changes, it might be worth looking at who stands to financially gain from this shift. India for example has hundreds of new community FM stations. Who produces the transmitters, aerials, studio equipment and the like, and who profits from the flow of music royalties? Same question for Africa, South America and Asia. It's not just that SW technology is past its peak. There is a profit motive lurking somewhere.
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