Court Ruling: ERT Can Resume Transmissions

ATHENS: Greece’s ERT has been given a temporary reprieve, with a court ruling that the pubcaster’s signal can be restored pending a restructure.

Last week, the Greek government ordered the closure of ERT as a cost-savings initiative, sparking widespread protests and leaving some 2,700 people without jobs. Greece’s supreme administrative court has ruled that ERT can resume transmissions pending a restructure; Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has proposed the launch of a new public broadcaster later this year that could operate with a smaller budget.

The European Broadcasting Union, which has been on the front lines of the campaign to have ERT operations resumed, welcomed the court order. “This is a positive turn because it means public service media will return to Greece,” said Jean Paul Philippot, the president of the EBU. “We welcome the news that ERT will reopen, and we offer our support to build a new, successful, independent and sustainable public broadcaster that will contribute to pluralism and diversity in Greek society.”