Greek state broadcaster continues operations with old name, staff, 2 years after mass firings
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Greece's state broadcaster has resumed operations under its old ERT name, and is proposing to rehire all staff fired in a cost-cutting, efficiency-boosting drive two years ago when the company was briefly closed.
Reinstating the broadcaster's name and full workforce was a key pledge of Greece's new radical left-led government, which campaigned strongly against the closure in June 2013 by the previous, conservative government. ERT was later replaced by a slimmed-down version called NERIT, but its abrupt closure angered many Greeks and drew international protests.
The government hailed Thursday's first broadcasts under the new name as a "victory for democracy."
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It is still unclear how much the new company will cost, and how many people it will employ. The old ERT was widely criticized for political nepotism and profligate spending.