Post date: Jun 11, 2013 9:42:15 PM
The Greek government has announced it will close down the Greek state channel to save costs, prompting a protest outside the channel.
ATHENS, GREECE (JUNE 11, 2013) (ERT TV) - The Greek government announced on Tuesday (June 11) it was shutting down the country's state broadcaster and will instead re-open a more streamlined channel that will cost less.
Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou made the announcement about ERTTV on the channel, saying the broadcaster was overstaffed with employees that were not necessary, was overspending on production and overtime, and was spending money on programs that no one was watching."ERT today has become scandalous, and everyone could see that every day, but no one dared to touch it. This all ends today and now. The government decided to close down ERT. Under the current legal framework and ministerial decision, transmissions will stop after the end of programming this evening," said Kedikoglou in a televised address on ERT.
The government spokesman said a new channel, which will have less staff and follow European standards would be re-opened in its place.
"ERT staff will be compensated, and any of the current staff who wish, can make an application for hiring at the new television organization," said Kedikoglou.
Some 2,656 employees work for ERT, which also has local channels aroundGreece.
"As of this evening you will be seeing black on the ERT channels," said the ERT TV presenter.
Kedikoglou said that ERT cost the taxpayer some 100 million euros per year. The new channel will cost them less. Taxpayers pay a fund to ERT through their electricity bill.
Thousands of supporters, trade unions, and politicians gathered in protest outside the television station when the news hit.
Private Greek television stations stopped broadcasting news for five hours in protest.
"The government is nullifying parliament, in essence it is nullifying democracy. The closing of ERT is not only a coup, its is like closing down Greece," said oppositionSYRIZA Party Panagiotis Lafazanis.
The announcement does not come as a complete surprise; the government had been hinting at such a move for months, and ERT employees had been on rolling strikes over wage and job cuts and unpaid wages.
"We gave our lives, our souls, for a proper news station. We spent nights that we will never get paid for. We are unpaid since November, all the staff, who work so hard here. All that effort has gone wasted. They are throwing us out just like that, Shame, its a disgrace." said ERT journalist Katerina Ioannidou, who has been working at ERT for 13 years.