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Radio & TV Council unplugs private MEGA TV, once the biggest in Greece

Greece’s National Radio And Television Council (ESR) uplugged private MEGA Channel TV, once the biggest private channel in the country. Abandoned by its own owners, the television channel has been broadcasting  a program full of repetitions and had no information content as its employees had not been paid for 16 months.

With 6-3 votes ESR members of the independent authority rejected a memorandum submitted by the board of directors of Mega requesting to change the character of the channel into a “non-informative.” The request was aiming to allow the broadcasting until the national tender for thematic TV licenses.

But the ESR ruled that the channel cannot be considered as a ‘thematic’ one.

The ESR is expected to send its decision to the National Telecommunications and Post Commission, as well to digital network operator Digea, which will be obliged to stop transmitting the Mega signal.

After the decision on Tuesday noon, employees gathered outside the offices in Mesogeion Avenue in Athens.

420 families of reporters, journalists, cameramen and administrative personnel will have now to go check with the Employment agency and apply for unemployment allowance of 360 euro per month for one year only.

Mega channel was the first private television station in Greece, launched on air on November 20, 1989. Its program was consisting of programming mainly of Greek programmes such as comedies, dramas, news, current affairs and entertainment shows but also foreign films.

The broadcaster was established by Greek media groups of Bobolas, Lamprakis, shipowner Vardinogiannis and other powerful businessmen of the times.

In the last two years ownership changed main hands and came under Marinakis and Savvidis -who had transferred his share to another company – with Vardinogiannis and Bobolas to keep a small percentage.

R.I.P.

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