Greece Relaunches Public TV News Wednesday Aug 21,2013

Greece's new EDT public TV has begun broadcasting news, more than two months after the government shut down the previous state broadcaster, ERT

Its first news programme was a two-hour broadcast that began at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT)


Note
On  June 11,2013 the Greek Govt unexpectedly announced it was suspending the country's Radio and Television Company, abbreviated to ERT in Greek, as part of drastic budget cuts.At the time of closing, ERT operated three main TV channels and more than a dozen national and local radio stations

The company's roots date back to the 1930s, when Greece's National Radio Foundation was set up.

It began airing television programmes in the 1960s, remaining the country's only TV broadcaster until the advent of private TV channels in 1989

Eighty per cent of the company's funding came from a licence fee included in electricity bills, and some of it was sourced from advertising revenue

Many Greeks objected to funding ERT through the licence fee, claiming that the company was too unpopular and too expensive. The broadcaster was also criticised for its openly pro-government reporting, especially since the start of the financial crisis in 2009

The government's surprise decision to shut down ERT was, however, met with fierce criticism from the public. Even though most agreed that a restructuring and cost-savings were required at the company, its immediate closure was branded "dictatorial"