On July 27, 1950, New York Mayor O'Dwyer, RCA Chairman David Sarnoff and others drove the first rivets into the base of the new TV tower. By December the tower was completed. This 22-story, 222-foot, 60-ton mast-like structure changed the Empire State's height to 1,472 feet. All nine of New York's television stations transmitted programs throughout five states.
In 1985 the broadcasting tower was replaced with a shorter and more efficient structure. Hence, the height of the building changed again, this time to 1,454 feet. The tower is able to withstand wind pressures of 50 pounds per square inch. It is equipped with three intercommunications systems connecting antennas to the transmitters and associated equipment housed on the building's upper floors. Lightning rods and aircraft warning lights are attached to the antenna. Professional tower climbers are employed for necessary maintenance and annual relamping of obstruction lights.
