Why 8FM Might Be the First Free Radio Station in Paris

8FM, a call sign that sounds like one from a radio station born out of the liberalization of the FM band in 1981. But here, it actually refers to a radio amateur who, in the late 1920s, was transmitting on shortwave. Yet the comparison with the era of free radio stations does not stop there, as we shall see.

In February 1929, this radio amateur moved onto the medium-wave band, normally reserved for broadcasting. He positioned himself as close as possible to the wavelength of Radio-Vitus, the Montmartre station, which broadcast on 308.9 meters. He began transmitting from his villa at 9 rue Félix-Faure as soon as Vitus signed off around 10 p.m. The opening bars of Les Deux Gendarmes by Gustave Nadeau served as his signature tune.

A journalist from L’Intransigeant, one of the leading newspapers of the time, happened to be listening:
“One Tuesday evening, around 11:30 p.m., while I was searching for rather faint stations around 250 to 300 meters, I was surprised to hear a French voice, which seemed very close given the excellent reception, saying quite distinctly: ‘Hello Melun, hello 8 GM, hello rue Saint-Maur, hello René, hello everyone. This is 8 FM conducting modulation tests with several amateurs.’ And 8 FM, I know him only by his call sign, as I know nothing else about him, carried out some microphone tests and played a few jazz and vocal records. It was an officially licensed amateur who had strayed onto the band reserved for broadcasting.”

“A truly lively voice”

This kind of transmission, hovering between amateur radio activity and broadcasting, was not uncommon. But in the case of 8FM, the personality of Mr. Merckel, an enthusiast from Neuilly-Plaisance, stood out.
“He was, in a way, giving a phonograph concert to a few friends who had been warned in advance, and to others, unknown wireless listeners who, like me, were tuning in that evening. But he did it with such warmth and humor that I felt comforted by the presence of a truly lively voice in my loudspeaker, usually more accustomed to relaying the official and rather cold tones of announcers,” L’Intransigeant continued. The broadcast had “the advantage of suddenly bringing life.”

“A new genre”

Mr. Merckel did not hesitate to imitate Dehorter, the chansonnier René Devilliers, or the announcer from Radio-Toulouse. He also used a “chime” made from the sound of pots and pans, imitating that of Neuilly.
“It seems to us that 8 FM has created a new genre likely to achieve great success,” enthused L’Intransigeant.

Not everyone agreed : “A good fellow has set up, in Neuilly-Plaisance, a low-power transmitting station. Three times a week, he broadcasts on a wavelength of 310 meters a concert of records spiced with a few jokes of questionable taste and political commentary that no one asked for,” wrote La Parole Libre.

Farewell to 8FM

But 8FM and its freewheeling late-night broadcasts were a hit, and the authorities reacted. At the end of 1929, Mr. Merckel received an order to stop transmitting, signed by Louis-Germain Martin, Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, who backed down after a press campaign just before leaving office. However, in October 1930, the PTT administration renewed its efforts. This time, Mr. Merckel complied.
“The owner of 8 FM made only a brief broadcast, just long enough to inform us that a letter had finally arrived that day forbidding him from any further transmissions and threatening legal action if he failed to comply.”