Tag Archives: Voice of Greece

Court orders Greek National TV and Radio, ERT to reopen

(Photo source: AP / Petros Giannakouris)

(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!

Spread the radio love

More ERT updates from Athens

(Source: radioakroatis.blogspot.gr/)

(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/

Spread the radio love

ERT now broadcasting on several medium wave frequencies

(Photo source: AP / Petros Giannakouris)

(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

Spread the radio love

Christos’ report on ERT shutdown & English statement from broadcaster

GREECE-ECONOMY-MEDIA

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.

Spread the radio love

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

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

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.

Spread the radio love

The Voice of Greece on air: comments about live protest coverage

vogCheck out the comments in our previous post regarding the Voice of Greece–Ron and Kevin share informative links, including this live stream of the protests.

Marty Delfin, from Madrid, Spain, also shares this message with us:

We are hearing the ERT (Voice of Greece) right now at 2340 UTC June 11 in Spain packing in a powerful signal. There is a lot of commentary — the little Greek that I can understand — trashing the conservative government for the shutdown. Hopefully, they say, the shortwave service will continue until further notice. Lots of reaction from listeners being broadcast. You are right— went on the air at 2100 UTC with just a carrier— came on the air about 45 minutes later—

Here’s the latest from the English language version of the Kathimerini daily from Athens— PM gambles on ERT closure and EBU expresses dismay on closure —

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_11/06/2013_503960

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_12/06/2013_503982

Such a stark contrast: the Voice of Greece (who “should” be off the air) covering ERT protests live, while the Voice of Turkey has barely mentioned the wide-spread Gezi Park demonstrations taking place throughout Turkey.

Spread the radio love

The Voice of Greece: off the air, then on

VoiceOfGreece

Screenshot of my WinRadio Excalibur receiver with frequency centered on the Voice of Greece.

The Voice of Greece did go off the air earlier today in conjunction with the closure of ERT, (Greek State TV and Radio).

As we monitored Voice of Greece frequencies, we noticed that their AM carrier was still present well past 21:00 UTC (midnight in Greece), though we heard no audio.

It’s currently 23:10 UTC and I’ve been hearing Greek commentary on 9,420 kHz for almost thirty minutes. I’ll post the recording later.

I know this: I wish I understood Greek right about now…

Spread the radio love