Closure of ERT

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Closure of ERT
Date11 June-7 November 2013
LocationGreece
CausesFiring of 2.656 employees
MethodsOccupation of the Radiomegaron
Protests
Establishment of ERT Open
OutcomeEvacuation of the Radiomegaron
Establishment of new operator

The Shutdown of ERT took place in Greece from June 11 until November 7, 2013. The ND/PASOK/DIMAR coalition government closed the then public broadcaster as part of its transformation to New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT). The decision was very controversial, and caused national and international outrage, and caused Democratic Left to leave the government. The majority of fired employees continued to broadcast from the headquarters of ERT, while after their expulsion from the Radiomegaron, a minority continued broadcasting through ΕRT Open while others took part in the new public broadcaster, NERIT.

Timeline[edit]

On June 11, 2013, Minister for the Press and Mass Media and Government Spokesperson Simos Kedikoglou announced that by midnight of the same day, ERT would shut down and that its 2.656 employees would be laid-off. According to his statements, after a short but undefined period of time, a new public broadcaster with a staff of less than 1,000 people would begin operating.[1]

ERT was dissolved by a joint ministerial decision issued under Article 14B of the Law 3429/2005 (on the dissolution, merger and restructuring of public enterprises) as amended by an Act of Legislative Content (Government Gazette 139/11.6.2013, Issue A').[2][3][4] Despite the existence of a budget surplus thanks to the contribution fee, Kedikoglou described ERT as a "waste shelter" that cost more and had fewer viewers than private media.[5]

Shortly before dawn on June 12, the transmission of the signal from the broadcasting antennas throughout Greece was interrupted by the intervention of the MAT on some transmitters.[6] Το αναλογικό σήμα διεκόπη στις 22:54, το ψηφιακό στις 23:12 και το ραδιοφωνικό στις 23:22.[7] At the same time, the signal of other TV channels using the same transponders was cut off. Using satellite services, some offices and other places that had not yet been closed, ERT journalists continued their broadcasts online.[8]

In turn, the state, which had already directly assumed the management of ERT, requested the suspension of the retransmission of ERT's television programming by television stations and internet providers on the grounds that it was not legal and licensed.[9]

On June 12, the official websites ert.gr, ert3.gr and voiceofgreece.gr were removed from the Greek online register. Other assets and websites registered by ERT were in danger of being shut down (because the managers decided to cancel and change the contact address), in particular the official Facebook and Twitter pages. ERT Live began broadcasting on other websites and blogs.[10][11][12]

Reactions[edit]

The closure of ERT triggered a wave of protests and reactions throughout Greece, with citizens gathering outside the ERT Radiomegaron in a show of support and solidarity throughout the evening, while the ESIEA, the GSEE and ADEDY went on a 24-hour strike.[13] A wave of reactions was also caused abroad with the beginning of the television coverage of the events at the Mesogeion Avenue Radiomegaron by foreign television networks. The EBU was quick to criticise the closure of ERT, issuing a statement expressing "deep disappointment on behalf of the entire public media in Europe" and calling on Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to reverse the decision.[14]

On June 12, the Belgian channel "Télé Bruxelles" (now "BX1") broadcast the ERT logo with the word "Solidarité" meaning "solidarity" underneath.[15]

Despite the announcement of the closure, the majority of ERT employees remained at their workplaces. After the closure of the transmitters and the website, broadcasting continued via satellite with EBU equipment.[16] The EBU also allocated a frequency for the live streaming of ERT's broadcast on the internet.[17] In addition, ERT employees reopened the analogue transmitters in most areas of Greece in order to continue broadcasting its programme.

On 21 June 2013, the Democratic Left, the then third government partner, withdrew from the ND-PASOK coalition, citing as a reason the way the government chose to reorganise public broadcasting.[18]

Council of State decision and creation of Dimosia Tileorasi[edit]

On June 12, 2013, the government announced the entity that would replace ERT, New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT).[19] Five days later, the Council of State ruled that the closure of ERT was legal but at the same time demanded the continued operation of a public broadcaster for the period until the establishment and operation of a new broadcaster.[20] In order not to reopen ERT, the government created a temporary body, Dimosia Tileorasi, which was under the Ministry of Finance, which had undertaken the management of ERT's assets and liquidation. The broadcaster began its experimental operation on July 10.

POSPERT appeal to the European Court of Justice[edit]

In April 2018, the European Court of Human Rights accepted and examined the application of POSPERT, which, among other things, argued that "the total closure of a public service broadcaster amounts to a violation of freedom of expression, protected by Article 10 of the ECHR".[21]

Continued broadcasting and evacuation of the Radiomegaron[edit]

The majority of the workers refused to leave the ERT building and continued broadcasting their radio,[22] and television[23] broadcasts as well as through the internet. On 24 October 2013 the EBU stopped transmitting ERT's programme via its satellites, which affected terrestrial broadcasting in some parts of Greece. At dawn on Thursday 7 November 2013, riot police and in the presence of a prosecutor entered the Agia Paraskevi Radiomegaron, evacuated it and arrested four employees.[24] In this way, they put an end to five months of radio and television broadcasting from the Radiomegaron. This was followed by clashes and limited use of tear gas outside the building where people gathered after a call by the workers.[25]

A minority of ERT employees continued to broadcast programmes through the ERT Open project, which continued television broadcasts from ET3's frequencies and radio broadcasts from various regions of Greece.

Re-opening of ERT[edit]

The SYRIZA and the ANEL, the two parties that formed the coalition government that emerged from the elections of January 2015 had in their programme the reopening of ERT. On 28 April 2015, the relevant bill was passed by a majority vote[26] which provided for the reopening of all ERT's television and radio stations and the Radiotelevision magazine, with a maximum planned staff of 2,500 employees.[27]

So ERT came back together with the channels: ERT1, ERT2 and ERT HD and the radio stations: Proto, Second and Third Programme, Kosmos 93.6, ERA Sport, Voice of Greece, ERT3's radio station Macedonia (102 FM, 95.8 FM) and its 19 regional radio stations on 11 June 2015 with a renewed programme, 95.8 FM).

ERT's third channel, ERT3, which did not stop broadcasting from the day of the operator's closure, reappeared on ERT's nationwide frequencies with a new programme on 29 June 2015. On 12 October 2017, the Radiotelevision magazine was re-released.[28] The radio programmes Filia 106.7, Trito Programma Vrahea and the foreign language programmes of the Voice of Greece did not resume.[29] On 5 March 2018, the ERT building at the corner of Muroouzi and Rigillis streets was reopened and fully reopened.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ξαφνικό θάνατο της ΕΡΤ ανακοίνωσε η κυβέρνηση, www.in.gr, 11 Ιουνίου 2013
  2. ^ Article 44 of the Greek Constitution allows the President, upon the proposal of the Council of Ministers "under exceptional circumstances of extreme urgency and unforeseen necessity" to issue decrees that have immediate effect, but must be submitted to Parliament within 40 days and ratified within three months of submission.
  3. ^ "Νόμος υπ' αριθ. 3429 (ΦΕΚ A 314/2005)". Εφημερίδα της Κυβερνήσεως. 27 December 2005.
  4. ^ "Τροποποίηση του νόμου υπ' αριθ. 3429 (ΦΕΚ A 139/2013)". Εφημερίδα της Κυβερνήσεως. 11 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Greece shuts down state broadcaster in search for new savings". Λονδίνο: Guardian. 12 June 2013.
  6. ^ Η διακοπή του σήματος της ΕΡΤ
  7. ^ Νασόπουλος Διονύσης (June 12, 2013). "Σοκ στην ΕΡΤ, σεισμός στην κυβέρνηση". Τα Νέα. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  8. ^ The shutdown of ERT - Live blog 12 June 2013
  9. ^ Στουρνάρας σε όσους αναμεταδίδουν την ΕΡΤ: Κόψτε το σήμα, είναι παράνομο, θα έχετε κυρώσεις
  10. ^ ΕΡΤ LIVE
  11. ^ "Ζωντανή αναμετάδοση του σήματος της ΕΡΤ". Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  12. ^ "Η μάχη της ΕΡΤ: Live Blogging". Archived from the original on 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  13. ^ "Πλήθος κόσμου διαδήλωσε για μία ακόμη ημέρα έξω από την ΕΡΤ". IN.gr. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  14. ^ "EBU Urges Greek Government to Reverse Decision on ERT". EBU.ch. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  15. ^ "ERT-Solidarite". enet.gr. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  16. ^ Lisa O'Carroll (12 June 2013). "ERT shutdown: European Broadcasting Union sets up makeshift studio". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  17. ^ "Στο Ραδιομέγαρο της ΕΡΤ η EBU". voria.gr. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  18. ^ "Η αποχώρηση της ΔΗΜΑΡ". kathimetini.gr. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  19. ^ "Νέα Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία, Ίντερνετ και Τηλεόραση" (PDF). www.minpress.gr. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  20. ^ "ΣτΕ: "Ναι" στο κλείσιμο, "όχι" στο "μαύρο" στην ΕΡΤ".
  21. ^ ΜΛ (2018-03-15). "Στο Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο για το λουκέτο στην ΕΡΤ". left.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  22. ^ "Ακούστε ζωντανά την ΕΡΑ Αθήνας". ERTOpen.com. Retrieved 2014-04-28.
  23. ^ "Δείτε ζωντανά την ΝΕΤ". ERTOpen.com. Retrieved 2014-04-28.
  24. ^ Η επέμβαση στο Ραδιομέγαρο της ΕΡΤ
  25. ^ "Αστυνομική επέμβαση για την εκκένωση της ΕΡΤ". news.in.gr. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  26. ^ Πουλακίδας, Κώστας (1 May 2015). "ΕΡΤ: Από την Τρίτη τα ιδιωτικά κανάλια θα έχουν ανταγωνιστή". avgi.gr. avgi.gr. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  27. ^ "Τι προβλέπει το νομοσχέδιο για την επανασύσταση της ΕΡΤ". in.gr. in.gr. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  28. ^ "Επανακυκλοφορεί δωρεάν η ιστορική "Ραδιοτηλεόραση" (video)". aftodioikisi.gr. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  29. ^ "Τελικά δεν επαναλειτούργησε ολόκληρη η ΕΡΤ. Ποια ραδιόφωνα δεν άνοιξαν ποτέ". radiofono.gr. radiofono.gr. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-07-29. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
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