Nice Logo Fools Nobody

Michael Hedges May 5, 2014 Follow on Twitter

Sour economics of the last decade, digital transitions and political shifting have put the media sphere on the back foot. Uncertainty and insecurity are, in many places, part of the landscape. Change for the better seems illusive as strategic investment is just postponed, short-term benefit all that matters. Meanwhile the carousel keeps spinning.

Media in Greece is rated ‘partly free’ by democracy advocate Freedom House. In its annual press freedom index, released last week (May 1), the recession and corruption battered European Union (EU) member ranked 92nd in the world and lowest in the EU. According to Freedom House rankings, press freedom in Greece has fallen from 37th in 2005 and 63rd in 2009, the greatest precipitous decline anywhere.

For this drastic deterioration, Freedom House cited “in large part” the shutdown of public broadcaster ERT last June “in an opaque manner.” Then, too, journalists have been increasingly prosecuted for libel. Digital television licensing has been a circus, government-supporting incumbents the ringmasters.

The ERT saga is now part of broadcasting lore. The government closed the institution, firing all employees, under pressure, it said, from international lenders to reduce public sector payrolls. Some ERT staff squatted in studios and offices, continuing to broadcast “pirate” programs using satellite links enabled by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the trade association of European public broadcasters. Unions held several demonstrations. Riot police were finally called in to clear the facilities.

The Greek government slowly organized, with obvious reluctance, a succeeding public broadcaster to be called New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT). A skeleton operation, called Public Broadcasting (GP), offered archive material and no news on one TV channel. Public radio disappeared, except for those pesky pirates. Licensing in Greece being a rather casual affair, private sector broadcasters began hopping to the unused frequencies.

“ERT was the biggest news network, broadcasting to parts of the country which do not have private outlets and its closure was a serious blow to the right of citizens to information,” said Freedom House research analyst Jennifer Dunham to Voice of America (VOA) Greek service (May 4). “At the same time the mass layoff in one day of thousands of journalists and technical crew greatly exacerbated the job insecurity felt by workers in the media. The transitionary broadcaster which was created is clearly inferior to ERT and is subject to greater control by the country’s government.”

As NERIT begins broadcasting eleven months after ERT’s closing, it seems continue the stripped down GP programming with a nice new logo. Members of its supervisory board are all government appointees. There is one TV channel and three radio channels. One local report, in typologies.gr (May 1), suggested the EBU may send technicians to insure proper relay of the Eurovision Song Contest, which ERT hosted in 2006.

The Freedom House Freedom of the Press 2014 report also deemed media in Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania “partly free.” The European periphery faired considerably worse; Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus labeled “not free” and Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova and FYR Macedonia “partly free.” Turkey dropped to 134th from 120th one year on, Bosnia-Herzegovina to 103rd from 96th and the UK to 36th from 31st. Latvia’s media freedom ranking rose most in Europe, to 49th from 55th.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Media in Greece, Cyprus and Macedonia

The Greek media world has been turned upside down in recent years. Financial constraints coupled with political confusion seem endless while digital media promises a new future. Media in Cyprus, largely tied to Greece, shows certain signs of stress while media in neighboring Macedonia remains under stress. This ftm Knowledge file explores the bright spots and all the rest. Includes updated Resources. 82 pages PDF (June 2014)

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Public Broadcasting - Arguments, Battles and Changes

Public broadcasters have - mostly - thrown off the musty stain of State broadcasting. And audiences for public channels are growing. But arguments and battles with politicians, publishers and commercial broadcasters threatens more changes. The ftm Knowledge file examines all sides. 168 pages PDF (March 2014)

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Press/Media Freedom - Challenges and Concerns

Press and media freedom worldwide is facing challenges from many corners. As authoritarian leaders impose strict control over traditional and new media with impunity, media watchers have concerns for democracy. This ftm Knowledge file accounts the troubles of this difficult decade. 88 pages. PDF (December 2011)

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