ERT - The workers behind the black screen

BEHIND THE BLACK SCREEN

I was sure, from the start of that black Tuesday, that when the government spokesman would make his speech

he would announce that ERT is shutting down

So, I was expecting it.

We were aware of the news about the ERT closure from the previous days.

But at that time we knew it was going to happen.

We interrupted the normal programme and brought a special news bulletin about the ongoing developments regarding ERT.

The first phone call I got while we were still broadcasting the developments about our lay offs was from my child

She was panicked, she learned about this from the TV. Crying, she asked me "Were you fired?" etc

What could I tell her? She has exams these days, as you know, I was very angry.

My colleagues here supported me. I put down the phone, because I couldn't answer her question.

When I calmed down, I called her back.

The newscast was released normally, with all the information we had until that time.

We were ready to broadcast when the government spokesman Mr. Kedikoglou would make his announcement.

The government has decided to shut down ERT, within the current legal framework and with a decision by all the ministers,

all ERT broadcasts are to stop after the end of the programme this evening.

In the beginning, we couldn't believe our ears.

There was a big panic, we looked at each other. "What's going on? I can't believe it. What's going to happen next?"

During that day and before the announcement was made, many of us here were crying

but at the same time we were thinking of how we could react to this coup.

The only way we had and still have is our voice, keeping ERT open.

We ended the newcast by calling the people, telling them:

"Stay with us. The public radio and television belong to you. Protect it."

The first thing we did was to secure the storage rooms, the equipment is sensitive and expensive.

We locked the storage rooms and gave the keys to the foreman.

DOWN WITH THE JUNTA
ERT IS NOT SHUTTING DOWN

After the initial shock was over, after the initial indignation, after all those why's...

we said "no, we stay here and keep working"

We were in constant communication with the Ymittos broadcast station and the office supervisor

to see what we could do to keep the programme running.

We were doing our shift at the Ymittos broadcast station and at some point around 10.30 pm

a riot police platoon showed up

They cut down the fence and showed up at the building gates.

After some time, I can't recall how much time passed exactly, must have been around 10 pm

we saw the riot police vehicles approaching the central entrance of the Katehaki building and they wanted to enter

The guard asked them for a warrant from the public prosecutor, as it is normally done in cases like this

but they said they didn't have one and stayed outside waiting, supposedly, for the warrant to arrive.

The warrant never arrived, at least until we left.

At gunpoint, we let the technician they had with them disconnect the transmitters

We collected our personal belongings, all this at gunpoint.

And then two police cars escorted us off the mountain.

Knowing how all this happened, with the cutting down of the fences and the guns

we realised we had to prepare ourselves and see how we should act.

We discussed it among us and took the decision to hide at a spot nearby and not leave the broadcast station.

so that they wouldn't arrest us in this area and get the same treatment as the people at the Ymittos broadcast station.

But soon we learned that our signal was cut anyway, possibly some sort of interference,

by some van, we don't know from where exactly

and we waited to see what will happen

We were anxious, all the colleagues here,

we kept informing the studio of any developments

we told them how our transmitters, one by one, our signal collapsed

From the moment the signal was down and the screens went black

we tried to organise, put something on people's screens

we kept switching to alternative solutions

Either through satellite or ERT World we kept broadcasting from our stations

We learned that the Parnitha station went down and the Ymittos station also went down with the riot police going in.

Then we tried to organise the stations away from urban centres, so that some people could watch the programme

Then I received another phone call, another blow.

I come from a small island near the border, Leros.

I had given the mayor there an emergency number, in case of an important event going on

then we could relay his messages, since it's a remote island, as ERT must do.

He tells me, "Mihalis, the ERT signal is gone and in their place we only see Turkish channels"

Our first move, us radio directors, was to meet and decide collectively that the Greek radio will not go silent.

Since we were charged with central control, we strived to keep the programme feeds of all the channels on the air, by any means.

At some point, when we were at the Katehaki building, we were asked to find two radio transmitters. We did so and carefully sent them to Agia Paraskevi

so we could connect directly with the transmitters and keep broadcasting our programme.

So we managed, with resourcefulness and thanks to the specialised knowledge of our technicians

we are still on air and informing the Greek public even now

all that is going on with the public broadcasting company

During the same time that our signal kept going down

friends and supporters of public broadcasting started re-broadcasting our programme

The University of Athens, we are very thankful to them, was with us from the get go.

That same night, they set up our programme to be broadcast via the Internet.

Radio stations of Attica and the rest of Greece, also abroad, united with us so the signal would not stop

The police came to the Katehaki building to guard it and the police sergeant announced that we should leave.

They broke down the door, they cut it down, I don't even know how,

they went to the 7th, 8th, 9th floor where the transmitters are

they destroyed the locks, so they could replace them with locks of their own

We reach the gate, the sergeant told me that we should leave and that the building is now under their responsibility

The next day at around 4 pm I decided to return to my home

I rode my motor bike and tried to leave the premises.

The police that stopped me were quizzical

"Where did you come from?" they asked.

I told them "I was in my office and working"

They replied "And how come you were there, how is it possible you were working? when did you come here?"

I told them I was there since the day before.

"And where did you sleep?"; "But I didn't sleep, I had work to do"

After the shock was over, the process of self-managing all this building, the workers, the equipment, the studios

We needed, above all, to protect them and also for the shop to keep running.

We are not police or the army, we are simple citizens, who for all these years we were working as sound technicians, electricians, camera operators

and suddenly, because of this government, we were called to play the role of the police or the army

we made up shifts for guard duty and divided between us colleagues

Generally, we had to do all this self-management,

and apart from all our pains and worries from being laid off, this gave us a lot of strength

and I would like to add that our relationships became much closer

This is the first floor, where the public broadcaster music groups and the Radio Third Programme are.

It is the floor of culture.

This is something we would like to take advantage of

We don't want it to stop

We wanted to start up this great engine that we have at our disposal

I hope the authorities will reconsider

It's not bad to admit to one's mistakes.

Even those who have the best intentions can make mistakes.

It's not bad to apologise when a blunder is made

For some people, not only the workers of ERT, our work is our life.

We have chosen to do the work that we like and makes us happy and we are paid like all other workers.

Our wages are like all other workers. We'd like people to come and ask us.

So they can get to know us, to see we are not monsters, we are not out of this world. So they can see our payslip.

I know I must work for the jobless, for all these people outside.

The ERT programme must go on, flawless, and delivered to the Greek viewer.

This is the first time ERT became so open to the public.

People come and visit, they look around, they're curious about the offices, the studios.

They want to get to know us closely.

The response from the public was immediate. People started coming to the ERT building.

Crowds had gathered outside the Mesogeion building in just two hours.

Either through the internet or the regional stations, we achieved the impossible.

The signal was broadcast, the people could listen to the radio

and we could inform them continuously for anything that was happening at ERT

As for the black screens, since many people already talk about it,

I personally have not seen it at all. I was here at the control room, we kept broadcasting,

I never saw any black screens and I never switched on the TV at home since.

ERT is about an idea. It's not about Dimitris, it's about the idea. ERT is all of Greece.

Isn't it possible to fix the mistakes of all these years

put our house in order with ERT remaining open?

Isn't it possible to put our house in order with ERT open?

We insist to remain working for the public broadcast operator.

We insist that we still want the signal to be broadcast

and we will not lay our weapons down

We keep fighting, not for keeping our jobs, promises or threats

We insist that the fight is still on, we're still in the game

We try, with our own strength and the support of the public,

of all people who are rational and believe that what is going on is unfair

They can't censor the truth, they can't censor democracy.