Tag Archives: VOG

ERT still broadcasting while Greek Public Television (EDT) emerges

Station name and logo of the new TV service, EDT

I have recorded hours of the Voice of Greece on shortwave since they were supposed to shutdown weeks ago. This update, via EnetEnglish, describes a re-branded TV service; Greek Public Television (EDT):

(Source: EnetEnglish.gr)

Greek Public Television (EDT), the replacement station for ERT which was shut down last month, has commenced broadcasting a basic signal.

A screen depicting the new station’s name and somewhat uninspiring logo appeared at about 8.30am on Wednesday morning, against a backdrop depicting a globe and waves of colour.

The decision to commence the signal follows the vote on Tuesday night, at committee, of a bill establishing New Greek Radio, Internet and Television, or Nerit, the new national broadcaster.

The bill received only the support of the coalition parties, New Democracy and Pasok, with all other parties against. Debate on the new legislation will be completed on Thursday.

Despite the move, ERT staff at the station have entered their second month of continuous broadcasting via a livestream hosted by the European Broadcasting Union, which has demanded that the station reopen.

[…]ERT staff are asking whether EDT has been approved by the state’s broadcasting regulator, the Greek National Council for Radio and Television (ESR). They also ask who is paying the staff working in EDT and on what kind of contracts.

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: Voice of Greece

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For your listening pleasure: over three hours of mostly music and commentary from the Voice of Greece. Recorded Sunday, June 23, 2013 on 9.42 MHz starting around 23:00 UTC.

Click here to download the full recording, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Part of me fears that when the ERT budget is scrutinized in the near future, the Voice of Greece may struggle to stay on the shortwaves. I’ve been recording hours of their programming over several days and will have more recordings to post in the future.

Please share your recordings on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. Thanks!

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Court orders Greek National TV and Radio, ERT to reopen

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(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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More ERT updates from Athens

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(Source: radioakroatis.blogspot.gr)

SWLing Post reader, Christos, has been reporting regularly on the state of ERT broadcasting in defiance of a government shutdown.

Here’s his latest report:

My logging on the frequencies used by ERT employees:

1404 KHz – KOMOTINI

1260 KHz -RODOS

1512 KHz – CHANIA, CRETE

9420 KHz – AVLIDA

This radio programme can be heard at the following internet address: http://193.43.93.230/ert.php

1008 KHz CORFU, [is] relaying audio from live video streaming.

This programme can be watched at: http://www3.ebu.ch/cms/en/sites/ebu/contents/news/2013/06/monitor-ert-online.html

729 KHz

96 MHz FLASH FM for Athens, Attiki.

They broadcast another radio programme.

666 KHz , 981 KHz : Transmitters are active, but there is no audio.

Also, check out Christos’ blog where he has posted several photos he took at ERT protests: http://radioakroatis.blogspot.gr/

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ERT now broadcasting on several medium wave frequencies

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(Photo source: AP / Petros Giannakouris)

It’s been several days now since the Greek government tried to shut down Greek National TV and Radio broadcaster, ERT. In fact, ERT was only off the air for a few hours; they immediately set up a live Internet stream and restored shortwave service to the Voice of Greece. They’re still going strong and, evidently, expanding.

SWLing Post reader, Christos, lives in Greece and has been keeping us up-to-date with field reports. He writes:

This day [Friday] the employees of ERT took over the frequencies of medium waves 666 KHz, 729 KHz, 981 KHz, 1008 KHz (Corfu) and 1404 KHz (Komotini), that the previous days remained silent.

Short waves (9429 KHZ) and 1260 kHz from Rodos Island continue active.

[There] are now two radio channels in operation.

Thanks again, Christos! Follow this story with the tag: ERT Cuts

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Christos’ report on ERT shutdown & English statement from broadcaster

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People gather outside the Greece’s public TV ERT headquarters in Athens on June 12, 2013, in support of the broadcaster’s staff and unions. AFP Photo (Source: RT)

SWLing Post reader, Christos, visited the protests at the ERT Radio House yesterday. Here are his comments:

This evening, I visited the Radio House of ERT (Radiomegeron) in Aghia Paraskevi suburb of Athens. I estimate that about three thousand people had been gathered to protest against the government’s decision of shutting down the radio and television channels. I cannot predict the reaction of authorities but I think that the popular support is limited.

At this time I checked two transmissions. A television one, through EBU internet video stream:
http://www3.ebu.ch/cms/en/sites/ebu/contents/news/2013/06/monitor-ert-online.html

And a radio one, relayed by some local FM stations and two classic ERT frequencies: 9420 KHz on short waves from Avlis and 1260 KHz on medium waves from Rhodes island. I receive both with my eton E5 portable radio right now.

Thank you for the report, Christos!

Also, Mauno Ritola recorded this English statement from the Voice of Greece (9,420 kHz) around 19:45 UTC yesterday:

Mauno believes they’ve been repeating this same statement in English and French throughout the day. He mentioned that he can also hear their 1260 kHz station in Finland. He said, “in the early evening they had regional programming, but around midnight joined the SW feed, which apparently was TV audio [with this feed]”

For more updates on the ERT protests, please follow this tag.

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Voice of Greece on shortwave throughout the night, despite ERT shut down

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Thousands of protesters gathered outside ERT’s headquarters in Athens (Source: BBC News)

If you listened to the Voice Of Greece in the wake of the Greek National TV & Radio (ERT) shut down last night, you were in for a bit of radio history.

I published several posts yesterday as the story developed; I knew if ERT was being silenced, the Voice of Greece would as well. But that’s not what happened.

The Voice of Greece went off the air, like its national radio and TV counterparts, well before the announced midnight deadline. But around 22:44 UTC, the VoG came back on the air–at first with a few audio/technical glitches–and broadcast ERT protest coverage throughout the night.

This morning, I searched for news sources and could only find one–BBC News–who noticed that the Greek broadcaster was live online and on shortwave radio.

In case you missed it hearing it live, you can listen to a short off-air recording of the moment the Voice of Greece was taken off the air, (on 15.65 MHz). I believe this happened around 18:56 UTC (11 June 2013):

Then later, on 9.42 MHz, around 22:44 UTC, the Voice of Greece began transmitting audio again. Here’s a recording beginning only a few seconds beforehand:

Follow the tag ERT Cuts for further updates.

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