(Photo source: AP / Petros Giannakouris)
Though the Voice of Greece has only been off the air very little, this court order will allow them to legally broadcast again:
(Source: Reuters)
A Greek court ruled that shuttered state broadcaster ERT must reopen immediately, a court official said on Monday, offering the squabbling ruling coalition a way out of a political crisis over the station’s abrupt closure.
The ruling – which ordered ERT switched back on until a restructured public broadcaster is launched – came six day[s] after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras took it off air in the name of austerity and public sector layoffs to please foreign lenders.
The ruling appeared to vindicate Samaras’s stance that a leaner, cheaper public broadcaster must be set up but also allowed for ERT’s immediate reopening as his coalition partners had demanded, offering all three a way out of an impasse that had raised the specter of snap polls.
“It appears that the interim decision of the top administrative court gives the three leaders an opportunity to find a face-saving formula,” said Theodore Couloumbis of the ELIAMEP think-tank.
A live feed of ERT – whose journalists have continued broadcasting over the Internet in defiance of orders – showed workers breaking into applause on hearing the court ruling. ERT’s Symphony Orchestra began an outdoor concert outside its headquarters, playing an old news jingle to cheering supporters.
“I’ve been here seven nights and this is the first time I’ve seen people smile,” said Eleni Hrona, an ERT reporter outside the headquarters.[…]
Read the full story at Reuters. Many thanks to Zach for the tip!
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