
En soutien au peuple grec au Ch telet : Jean... par Mediapart
EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot told a public meeting in Paris last night, organized by Mediapart and Reporters Without Borders, how and why the EBU is taking such an active role in the international push to have Greek public broadcaster ERT returned to air. Lire lappel du Ch telet
Describing the events before and after the shock closure of ERT, on 11 June, Mr Philippot said that the Greek Government's apparent aim has so far not been to build a new media body" but, through all legal means and threats, "to muzzle journalists doing their job .
He also described the position taken publicly on the matter by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso as ambiguous .
The meeting, held at the Ch telet Theatre in the French capital, was addressed by a number of prominent figures from media, academia and art, all offering their support to the Greek people.
Full transcript in English:
Thanks for organizing an evening that is, unfortunately, indispensable. Thanks for mobilizing yourselves through your presence, underlined by an indispensable fight, because this is a fight, which is pretty paradoxical in 2013 in the Europe we're leading.
As president of the EBU I have had two very unusual weeks, two weeks I would not have expected to have to devote myself to. It started with an intense lobbying with European parliamentarians and the Commission to highlight that in the founding acts of Europe diversity figured as a keystone of an original model, founded on pluralism, respect for cultures and enrichment through diversity. I did not think that in 2013 we'd have to remind so insistently that the mandate for discussing business would have to exclude certain values, such as these values of cultural diversity.
(applause)
1'25" This week continued with a panic-stricken phone call from our colleagues at ERT on Tuesday, telling us that a decision taken by two ministers representing the government would lead to the immediate closure of their institution with a threat, at that time, to cut the transmission. On Tuesday we lived through the last hours and minutes of ERT as a public institution of television and radio in Greece. With of my colleagues on the phone at 23h15, Belgian time, crying, telling me it was over, leaving me with the unimaginable picture of TV screens shutting off.
2'18" You will do and already have put it better than I can, but to remove a journalist's microphone, to confiscate his pen, to turn off his camera is to gag democracy. There's no other way of putting it.
Today I want talk to you about what happened these past few days, the very concrete actions that we carried out, and also speak to you about values, and the paradox that I cannot get out of my head. I'll try to do both.
Firstly, in this regard, you and we cannot tolerate the stoppage of a European public TV or radio. I will not comment today on the quality of management or transparency of the accounts or the independence of ERT's operations. This is a matter for the Greek people, their representatives and professionals of its public bodies. However, the principle of having a public operator in a democratic country in Europe in 2013, this principle is inalienable. And it is in the name of this principle that we did various things.
We wrote to the President of the European Commission we await his reply. We wrote to the Greek Prime Minister we await his reply. We asked the Greek Prime Minister two things: first that he reverse his decision, and second that he re-establish the signal. We also said to him that we take no position on the reforms and reorganization of ERT, but that we as the EBU were ready to help our Greek colleagues and to share with them our professional practices. We wrote to Mr Barroso to find out the exact position of the Commission. Mr Barroso, in a communiqu on Wednesday, mentioned three things. First he expressed his wish that those who had been laid off would be treated according to the usual rules.
(crowd jeers)
4'33" Secondly he repeated the values of public service and the necessity of public service in a European democracy. Thirdly, he said he was not qualified...
(cheers from crowd) ...
...not qualified to intervene in the Greek case and lastly he looked forward to a new public service coming to light quickly. These positions are ambiguous (crowd murmurs) and today I learn from Mr Ollie Rehn's spokesman that he now admits that the troika, not that it asked for the closure of ERT but that it had recommended that slimming down measures be applied.
So we proceeded in two ways: first by supporting our Greek colleagues. Very concretely we sent satellite capacity that we set up in the forecourt of their institution (applause) to retransmit the signals that were continuing to be produced on the premises by the staff who were occupying and who keep the house running today without a contract, without even a legal basis, and to be able to help and contribute to sidestep the unbelievable measure of sending in the police to stop the transmitters.
6'17" We quickly learned as well that the website, the domain name ert.gr had been axed by the government. If you tap into Google today ert.gr it tells you the page is no longer valid. This returns to the problems we have seen in the past of cutting electronic media, it's a very modern problem. I don't think democracies do these sorts of things. What did we do? We took in ERT's satellite signals in Geneva and we are hosting on the EBU website in Geneva the content produced by ERT.
(applause)
7'05" In addition we are broadcasting ERT's signal via satellite capacity that we lease, which ERT was using previously, across Europe. On Friday we went there. On Friday we met the former managers of ERT to demonstrate ou
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...
12/03/2025
New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...
12/03/2025
Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...
12/03/2025
ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...
12/03/2025
Consumer show back following hugely successful first series
10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
11/03/2025
Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...
11/03/2025
For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...
11/03/2025
The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...
11/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...
11/03/2025
NEW BERN, N.C. Wheatstone will introduce a Linux audio driver for its WheatNet IP audio network during the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, at the Las Vegas Convention...
11/03/2025
NEW YORK A new study finds that as TV viewership for women's sports surged by 131% in 2024, the programming also saw a 56% year-over-year increase in ad im...
11/03/2025
Powerful switcher for news studio
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, has installed its HVS-1200 ...