ERT3

ERT3 is a Greek free-to-air public television channel operated by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as ERT. The channel is based in Thessaloniki and broadcasts nationally, while maintaining a distinctive editorial and production emphasis on Northern Greece. Its regional orientation differentiates it from ERT's principal Athens-centered channels and gives it a role in representing communities, institutions, cultural activity and public issues across the country's northern regions. The service began broadcasting on 14 December 1988 under the name ET3, derived from Elliniki Tileorasi 3, or Greek Television 3. It emerged during the reorganization of Greece's state broadcasting services into the ERT structure. From its Thessaloniki base, the channel developed a national television service with regional reporting and programming. It also relied on a network of regional facilities and studios, including locations in northern mainland cities such as Florina, Komotini and Alexandroupoli, as well as island locations including Paros, Lesbos and Samos. This infrastructure enabled the channel to connect national broadcasting with local stories and perspectives. ERT3's programming combines news, public-affairs discussion, documentary and factual formats, cultural coverage, entertainment, sports and programs about rural and regional life. Its news output includes national and international developments alongside reporting centered on Northern Greece. Other formats have explored political and scientific questions, the experiences of Greeks living abroad, village life and traditions, personal stories, and sporting events. The channel therefore functions both as a general public television service and as a regional window within the nationwide ERT portfolio. A major interruption occurred on 11 June 2013, when the Greek government abolished ERT and attempted to close its broadcasting operations, including the Thessaloniki facilities associated with ET3. Employees and supporters continued to transmit programming through the ERT Open movement, using internet distribution and citizen-journalism initiatives to oppose the shutdown of public broadcasting. This period preserved a form of ET3's editorial presence outside the formal television structure, although it did not represent ordinary operation by the legally functioning broadcaster. ERT was restored in 2015 under a new Greek coalition government. On 11 June 2015, two years after the shutdown, the service returned to the domestic television system and adopted the ERT3 name and identity. The relaunch re-established Thessaloniki as the channel's principal production center and restored its place within ERT's national portfolio. ERT3 remains a public-service channel rather than a separately listed commercial company, and its value is primarily associated with regional representation, public information, cultural programming and nationwide access to perspectives originating outside Athens.

ERT3's history is closely connected to the development and political administration of Greece's public broadcasting system. The channel was created as ET3, or Elliniki Tileorasi 3, and began broadcasting on 14 December 1988. Its establishment followed the consolidation of state television and radio services within the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, ERT. Unlike the principal public channels based in Athens, ET3 was designed around Thessaloniki and gave Northern Greece a prominent institutional base in national television. The channel broadcast nationwide but developed a recognizable regional mission. Its Thessaloniki headquarters supported coverage of political, economic, social and cultural issues in Macedonia, Thrace and other northern areas. Regional facilities in places including Florina, Komotini and Alexandroupoli expanded its reporting reach. The channel also maintained studios or production capacity in island locations such as Paros, Lesbos and Samos, allowing it to connect regional broadcasting with communities beyond the main urban centers. Its output combined news and public affairs with documentaries, entertainment, cultural features, rural-life programs and sports. ET3's institutional continuity was severely disrupted on 11 June 2013. The Greek coalition government abolished ERT as part of a broader austerity and public-sector restructuring policy. The decision included the attempted closure of the Thessaloniki operation and the ET3 service. Employees resisted the shutdown and continued to make programming available through ERT Open, an informal broadcasting and online initiative associated with the wider protest against the closure of public television. During this period, the service's journalism and production activity continued in an unofficial form, including citizen-oriented reporting, even though ET3 no longer operated as a normal channel within the statutory ERT structure. A subsequent Greek coalition government restored ERT two years later. On 11 June 2015, the public broadcaster returned and the Thessaloniki service was relaunched under the name ERT3. The new identity marked both the restoration of the channel and its reintegration into ERT's national portfolio. ERT3 resumed carriage on domestic television platforms while retaining Thessaloniki as its main broadcasting center. In its restored form, ERT3 has continued to combine nationwide distribution with a Northern Greek editorial perspective. Its news bulletins carry national and international material as well as regional headlines. Public-affairs programs examine politics, economics, science and issues affecting Thessaloniki and the wider north. Other formats focus on personal stories, the Greek diaspora, village life, regional traditions and sports. This mix allows ERT3 to operate as a general-interest public channel while preserving the geographic and cultural identity that distinguishes it within ERT. It is currently a channel brand of the state-owned Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation rather than an independent listed enterprise.

• 2015

  ERT3 identity restored

  [1]ERT3en.wikipedia.org

  ERT returns to operation and the former ET3 service adopts the ERT3 name, resuming carriage on domestic television platforms.

• 2013

  Public broadcasting shutdown

  [1]ERT3en.wikipedia.org

  The Greek government abolishes ERT and attempts to close the Thessaloniki television operation. Former ET3 employees continue transmitting through ERT Open.

• 1988

  ET3 launches

  [1]ERT3en.wikipedia.org

  The service begins broadcasting on 14 December as ET3, a public television channel based in Thessaloniki.

A nationwide public-service television channel with a strong Thessaloniki and Northern Greece identity, combining regional journalism with general-interest, cultural, factual and sports programming.

• Public television channel · 1988

  ERT3 television channel

  ERT3 is a free-to-air nationwide television service within the ERT portfolio. It broadcasts from Thessaloniki and combines general-interest programming with a strong focus on Northern Greece, including regional news, public affairs, documentaries, cultural features, entertainment and sports.

• News programming

  Deltio Eidiseon

  ERT3's news output provides national and international coverage alongside regional reporting, with particular attention to headlines and developments from Northern Greece.

• Factual and human-interest series

  Alithina Senaria

  A factual series built around encounters with people whose work, experiences or personal stories offer insight into different parts of Greece and the wider world. The format moves between professional, rural and community settings.

• Public-affairs discussion

  Anichnevsis

  A socio-political discussion program addressing political and scientific subjects through interviews and analysis.

• Cultural and current-affairs series

  Diaspora

  A program focused on Greeks living abroad, presenting their experiences, concerns and relationships with Greece while connecting diaspora communities with viewers at home.

• Regional culture and lifestyle

  Kyriaki Sto Horio

  A travel and cultural program visiting towns and villages to present local traditions, music, history, everyday life and the social challenges faced by rural communities.

• Political discussion

  Lavyrinthos

  A weekly political program examining current affairs, economic and policy questions, and issues with particular relevance to Thessaloniki and Northern Greece.

• Sports programming

  O Kosmos Ton Spor

  A sports news and analysis program covering results, major stories, match highlights, live reports and studio discussion from Greece and abroad.

• 2015

  Restoration and renaming as ERT3Strategy

  Background

  A new Greek coalition government restored ERT two years after its abolition, bringing the Thessaloniki public television service back into the national broadcaster.

  Action taken

  The former ET3 service adopted the ERT3 name and identity and returned to domestic television platforms.

  Aftermath

  ERT3 resumed its role as ERT's Thessaloniki-based channel, maintaining nationwide distribution and a programming emphasis on Northern Greece.

  Source

• 2013

  Closure of the ET3 operationOther

  Background

  The Greek government abolished ERT during a period of austerity and public-sector restructuring, ending the formal operation of ET3 and placing the Thessaloniki broadcasting facilities at risk of closure.

  Action taken

  The state shut down ERT's formal broadcasting structure. ET3 employees responded by continuing to produce and distribute programming through the unofficial ERT Open initiative.

  Aftermath

  The shutdown lasted until ERT was restored in 2015. The interruption became a defining episode in the channel's institutional history and in debates over Greek public broadcasting.

  Source

1. 1ERT3en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hellenic Broadcasting Corporationert.gr