Re-Organisation Of ERT Only Possible "From Scratch"

The Greek government had no choice but to entirely shut down the former public broadcasting company (ERT), according to Deputy Public Broadcasting Minister Pantelis Kapsis. Speaking before parliament, he said on Thursday night that ERT's re-organisation could only have taken place "from scratch". The state news agency quoted him as saying that the current sit-in protest at the premises of the former ERT is not going to be permitted to continue indefinitely and expressed fears that there was a group of trade unionists in ERT that were determined to continue occupying the premises.

     "I asked them if they agree, so that the signal will not stop broadcasting from Aghia Paraskevi and, of course, they did not accept this, because there is a group that is determined to stay until the end. This will not happen," the minister underlined.

Kapsis said that the first 500 jobs in the new public broadcaster will be proclaimed in the next few days, implementing an agreement for 2,000 jobs.

     "It is a mistake for public television and the employees, for all those that insist on keeping them out of this process," he stressed and claimed that in a meeting on Wednesday with representatives of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), they had ter-med the plan for the new broadcaster one of the best in Europe.
     "I understand the reactions on the part of employees that are losing their jobs and of the parties and citizens with the 'black screen' on ERT's [frequency]. Could it have been done differently? With all the honesty of a professional, I would like to say one thing: in order for ERT to be reorganised, this had to be done from scratch," he said.

According to the deputy minister, ERT was dominated by a culture that did not recognise worth, of political intervention that culminated in a culture of indifference and a 'public-sector' ethos that was completely foreign to the mass media.

     "ERT was a network of fixed structures that prevented every effort at creative work," he said.

Regarding the cost of the reorganisation and the criticism concerning lost revenues, he said that ERT's share of ad revenue was just 10 million euros or "almost nothing" and that, in reality, it was fully subsidised.

Parliament was discussing a main opposition SYRIZA proposal for a Parliamentary probe into the circum-stances leading to the ERT's shutdown by the government in June. One day later Parliament discussed the draft law on the "New Greek Radio, Internet and Television" (NERIT).

On their part, the former employees of ERT charged the government with "mocking and pressuring" them and added the that "the only solution the government offers is use employees' consent to cover up a political mistake and to continue violating the law".

In an announcement, they said that the article drafted by the government regarding their compensations is being used as a "carrot and stick" and the only thing that matters for the government is to control radio and television programming and information.

(Combined Reports)