Alter Channel
Alter Channel, better known as Alter, was a private TV channel in Greece. It launched in 1990 and was owned by Eleftheri Tileorasi S.A and was headed by Andreas Kouris. Programming mainly consisted of news, current affairs shows and entertainment programs. Alter featured popular news anchor Nikos Hadjinikolaou, morning show host Giorgos Aftias & controversial but popular investigative reporter Makis Triantafyllopoulos. Alter also aired the award-winning program Fos sto Tounel (Light in the Tunnel), a program that tracked down missing individuals. It also featured a strong lineup of children's programming that aired daily. In 2011, Alter faced with severe financial difficulties and in early December 2011, it stopped broadcasting due to financial difficulties.
| Alter Channel | |
|---|---|
| Launched | 1990 |
| Closed | 26 January 2012 (NOVA) 10 February 2012 (analog & digital) 26 April 2012 (in building the station was operating) November 2012 (OTE TV via Conn-X) 11 October 2013 (the sealed building ALTER Channel) |
| Owned by | Free Television S.A. |
| Picture format | 4:3 (576i, SDTV) |
| Audience share | 11.4% |
| Country | Greece |
| Formerly called | Channel 5 (1990-1999) Alter 5 (1999-2000) |
| Website | ---- |
Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| DVB-T | Channel 46, 24 |
History
- 1990 - The channel was launched as Channel 5 and was owned by Eleftheri Tileorasi S.A.
- In a transitional period when it was co-owned by Altec and Kouris Media Group it was named Alter 5.
- 2000 - On 27 October 2000 it rebranded yet again as Alter Channel.
- 2002 – The channel was relaunched as Alter with intention of building popularity and better compete with other Greek networks.
- 2002 – 'Alter Eidiseis' (Alter News Bulletin) peaks at 250,000, surpassing almost any channel but Star, being the #1 news broadcast.
- 2002 (September) – Alter moves the news programming from 6 PM Balkan-Nile (GMT+2) (5 PM Cen. Europe-Cen. Africa Time/GMT+1) to an hour and twenty minutes later to compete with other channels such as ANT1 news. Star Channel did the same.
- 2003 (October) – Head of Alter and Tempo were fired.
- 2005 - On April 20, 2005, Alter completely overhauled its lineup, organizing the schedule into programming blocks: Morning, Noon, Afternoon and Night. The morning block featured news and current affairs, as well as programming for children. The Noon programming block had current affairs and entertainment shows. During the evening Alter broadcast serials and the main nightly newscast. At night, programming consisted mainly of entertainment shows and talk shows like the award-winning show 'Fos Sto Tounel'.
- 2005 – Alter launches Alter Globe, an international service featuring the best of Alter in North America (Aug. 24) on Dish Network, Australia and Asia – Africa (December) on UBI World TV.
- 2007 – Alter Globe was removed from the Dish Network platform in the US on August 31, 2007, and debuted on the rival platform DirecTV on September 26, 2007.
- 2008 – Alter Globe launches in New Zealand via UBI World TV.
- 2010 - Alter Globe is added to Cablevision in the US then removed a short while later due to insufficient growth.
- 2011 (November) - Alter headquarters was occupied by its workers, who were striking in response to not having been paid in over a year.
- 2011 (December) - the channel has stopped broadcasting.
- April 2012 - Plans to reopen the channel began, with finance believed to be by Jewish, French and Turkish investors.
Alter Channel workers' occupation (30 November 2011 – 11 October 2013)
| Alter Channel workers' occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 30 November 2011 – 11 October 2013 | ||
| Location | Greece | ||
| Caused by | Unpaid for over a year Channel debt crisis | ||
| Goals | Salary payment | ||
| Methods | Occupation | ||
| Resulted in | Management victory
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| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
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On November 11, 2011, unpaid Alter employees re-occupied the station, taking over the transmission and broadcasting screens with their demands. The workers refused to return to their jobs, not accepting the rescue plan which was presented by the station owner George Kouris. Alter employees produced and transmitted their own program from January 1 until February 10, 2012, at which point both terrestrial and satellite transmissions ceased. The programme featured interviews with unemployed Greeks, unpaid workers, striking workers of the Greek steel industry, unpaid employees of newspaper Eleftherotypia, economist Dimitris Kazakis (who referred to the imposition of new measures by the government Papademos), the chairman of power company union GENOP, Nikos Fotopoulos, and former broadcast journalist John Kanelakis. Presenters of the show were George Filippakis and Akrivi Kirikos.
Also, broadcast at this time were the documentaries Debtocracy (Chreokratia), and W4 Crisis (Women of the crisis), which referred to the economic crisis and the Greek debt. The solidarity concert at the indoor basketball court of Peristeri was also broadcast on Monday, January 30, 2012.
In April 2012, the major shareholder of ALTER George Kouris started negotiations with Israeli investors, who wanted to financially support the channel.
Logo
The original logo used by Alter Channel, which lasted for just one year, featured a swirl type symbol in red at the top and the words 'Alter Channel' below in blue. The channel simply used the word 'Alter' as its logo.
Programming
Alter shows include:
- Alter Εidiseis (Alter News) – Daily newscast with all the latest headlines from Greece and around the world, at 8 pm (M-F) and 6:45 pm (weekends). With updates at 3:30pm 10:45pm. (Main newscast at 8 pm hosted by Nikos Xatzinikolaou)
- Atheatos Kosmos (Out-of-sight world) – Current affairs program, discusses key social and political issues. Topics are thoroughly investigated and researched by host Kostas Chardavellas and his team of investigative reporters.
- Edo Kai Tora (Here and Now) – Current affairs program that keeps viewers informed of the latest headlines from Greece and around the world. Features live reports from around the country and analysis of issues that affect everyday people, such as economic matters, health concerns and more. Hosted by Μaria Smilidou and Dimitri Fresko, airs weekday mornings at 11am.
- Fos Sto Tunnel (Light in the tunnel) – Informative series that focuses on finding missing persons. It has been on the air for 13 years and has won numerous awards. Hosted by Ageliki Nikolouli.
- Kalimera (Good Morning) - Morning show, features a discussion with in-studio guests and news from all over Greece and abroad. Hosted by Giorgos Aftias (previously at Alpha TV), airs Monday - Friday at 7am.
- Lifestyle, a one-hour show with star interviews, entertainment news, and gossip about the Greek showbiz.
- Poly Bla Bla (Much talking) – A show targeted at the younger generation with an entertaining and informative topics including a look at all the latest gossip from the world of showbiz, fashion tips, games & contests, strange news stories from around the world and helpful advice for viewers & audience members regarding the problems they face in their lives. Hosted by Stamatina Tsimtsili, with Alexandra Tsolka, Nikos Partsolis, Olga Lafazani, Vasilis Tsatsanis & Stefanos Kostantinidis.
- Prosopo Me Prosopo (Face to face) - Talkshow with focus on current affairs including political, social & economic issues; hosted by Nikos Xatzinikolaou.
- Ta Paratragouda (Incidents) – Entertainment and popular series that features various guests who wish to air their problems (whether real or fake). From those who want a shot at stardom to those looking for a love connection, this program has it all. Under the watchful eye of the audience, at the end of the show, someone wins the 'big prize'. The show promises surprises, new games, countless gifts and much more. Hosted by Annita Pania, airs Saturday & Sunday at 4:15pm.
- Simera me ton Aki Paulopoulo (Today With Akis Paulopoulos) - Informative show which discusses the biggest events of the day and analyses current events in Greece. The show airs on weekdays at 8pm.
- TV Weekend – Entertainment series that features gossip, news about the stars, and all the happenings from the world of show biz. Hosted by Eleni Fotopoulou, airs Saturday and Sunday at 1pm.
- Zougla (Jungle) and Kitrinos Typos (Yellow Press) – Longtime favorites with Greek viewers, these talk shows focus on current affairs and gets to the bottom of issues that dominate the headlines. Hosted by Makis Triantafilopoulos. Zougla airs Thursdays at 11:15pm & Kitrinos Typos airs Mondays at 11:15pm. (returns to Alter Channel after a stint at Alpha TV; was also broadcast on ANT1 in the past).
- Kids program in the morning - In the morning, Alter was airing kid shows for the young viewers including Gormiti, Kid Songs, Winx Club (Season 1 - 4), Thomas The Tank Engine, Barney The Dinosaur, Bob The Builder, Bakugan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Totally Spies, Transformers, etc.
Alter Globe
Alter Globe is the international network of Alter Channel that broadcasts 'the best of Alter' to audiences in North America and Australia. The channel launched in August 2005 in the USA on Dish Network and on December 2005 in Australia on UBI World TV. In September 2007 it switched platforms in the US from Dish Network to DirecTV. On April 1, 2011, Alter Globe was removed from the DirecTV platform along with all other Greek channels that were carried by the service. On October 1, 2011, Alter Globe re-launched in the US on the Home2US platform.