After 72 years on air, the Voice of America Greek Service -- one of its longest-running language services -- is signing off today for the last time, bidding adieu to loyal listeners in Greece, Cyprus, and beyond.
VOA Director David Ensor called the Greek Service “a small but mighty group of talented, dedicated journalists, who for over seven decades served as an unbiased, objective news source."
The Greek Service was established on November 1, 1942, and went on to cover historic turning points of modern Greece, from the civil war in the late 1940s to the accession to the European Union, and most recently the country’s struggles to remain an integral part of the E.U.
The Greek Service was among the first services at the Voice of America to transition to exclusively affiliate-based broadcasting in the early 1990s. One of VOA’s smallest language services, the staff provided regular and ad-hoc content to its affiliate stations in Greece, with unique perspectives on U.S. politics, coverage of issues concerning the Greek-American community, and live Q&As during major global news events.
Greek Service Closing
Ioannis Spanolios, general manager of one of VOA’s first-ever affiliates, SKAI Radio and TV in Greece, said, “We are saddened because our collaboration that lasted close to a quarter century has come to a close…because we are losing a valuable news source from the other side of the Atlantic.”
VOA Greek Service Chief Anna K. Morris said of her time with the Greek Service, “I feel absolutely privileged to have been given the opportunity to present American perspectives to Greek audiences for over 22 years.”
