Start TV shuts down for good – The channel will not broadcast again
CORFU. The decision by the owners and management is reportedly irreversible. The financial results did not allow operations to continue. The choice to cease broadcasting rather than declare bankruptcy, and what comes next for the employees.
The television station Start TV is closing down for good, as, according to information obtained by Enimerosi, the decision by its owners and management to cease operations is irreversible.
The development follows the sudden suspension of the station’s operations on 1 October, which caused concern among employees and raised questions about the future of the broadcaster.
According to the same sources, the decision is linked to the company’s financial results, which did not provide the conditions necessary for sustainable operations. The owners are reportedly understood to have concluded that continuing to operate under the existing circumstances would further weaken the company’s financial position, with no clear prospect of reversing the situation.
The same sources attach particular importance to the way in which the decision was taken to end the business’s activities. They argue that a potential bankruptcy would have created less favourable conditions for settling the company’s outstanding obligations. Permanent closure, by contrast, is presented as an option that allows its liabilities to be settled without resorting to bankruptcy proceedings.
For years, Start TV was part of the local news landscape, broadcasting news bulletins, journalistic programmes and sports shows. Its reach extended beyond Corfu. According to the National Council for Radio and Television’s register, the station had regional coverage across Western Greece and the Ionian Islands, while its first official registration dates back to 1998.
The permanent cessation of television broadcasting also raises questions about the future of the frequency and broadcasting licence, which will be determined through the procedures provided for by law. The fate of Radio Corfu 100.1 also remains unclear, as it was not included in the announcement suspending operations.
The closure of Start TV is about more than a business bringing its operations to an end. It means the loss of jobs and a contraction of local television production in a market where sustaining professional journalistic organisations is becoming increasingly difficult.
The financial viability of a regional television station depends on a limited advertising market, while the costs of technical infrastructure, programme production and staffing remain high. The case of Start TV therefore also highlights the broader question of the conditions necessary for regional television to survive.
GIORGOS KATSAITIS
