Nikos Megrelis, one of ERT’s most senior program makers and the former chief of ERT World has described the axing of Greece’s public service broadcaster “an outrageous and sinful decision”.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos from Athens, Megrelis, whose employment with ERT ended along with 2700 other staff at midnight on Tuesday, says the blame for the channel’s closure must be laid at the door of media unions – who objected to reforms – and the government, who were responsible for appointing ERT’s board and CEO.
“The government had total control,” said Megrelis, who added that in 2011-12 ERT had made profits of 67 million euro.
“Until the first quarter of 2012-13 the company was healthy economically.
“This profit was coming from advertising, from the electricity bill funding, and from agreements ERT has all over the world in distribution deals, but that turned into a loss, with the government not spending any money on ERT; funds which should have been paid to ERT were going into another government account.”
Megrelis, who was critical of aspects of the channel’s management, says that some reforms in recent years had begun to make a difference.
“ERT changed a lot. There were once huge salaries, but this year the highest salaries were around 4000 euro a month, with many channel directors being paid less.”
As one of ERT’s most experienced producers, Megrelis says the impetus for the shock decision is down to one man – Greece’s Prime Minister.
“Samaras made the choice to shut ERT down in one night. This was a move by Samaras himself, not in accordance with the other two partners in government,” he says.
“Samaras says Greece is a success story, but the real situation is there is a gap in collecting the money that Samaras has promised to collect through the austerity measures.”
Despite the Greek government’s promise to replace ERT with a new public service channel in the future, Megrelis isn’t holding his breath for a positive outcome.
“The future’s dark,” he says. “I’m sure the new channel they talk about will have a very blue conservative mark.”
Megrelis’ believes that the bold if misguided ERT suspension is also a result of the mentality that many feel is embedded in Samaras and the New Democracy party.
“They want to show strength, that ‘we are the guys’, that ‘we have the guts’,” says Megrelis, who adds that one factor the Greek government didn’t fully comprehend is the place ERT has in the hearts and minds of the Greek diaspora.
“It’s a symbol; a symbol of democracy, of pluralism, a symbol of freedom of expression.
“ERT is the link between the motherland and Greeks abroad. It’s only ERT that has programs with traditional songs from every part of Greece, cultural activities, all the programming unique to a public service broadcaster.
“What has happened has caused not just a wave of emotion and anger within the Greek people, but all over the world. It’s a tragedy.”