Orchestra of the Athens Radio Station

The Athens Radio Station, Greece’s first public radio station, was established in 1936 under the Metaxas regime as a state-run broadcaster and began transmissions on 25 March 1938 from a transmitter in Nea Liosia. Located at the Zappeion in Athens, it primarily broadcast in Greek (1938–1941, 1944–1952) but switched to German during the Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944. The station was Greece’s first in the Attica region and the second nationally, marking the start of public radio broadcasting in Greece and serving as a precursor to the National Radio Foundation (EIR), eventually evolving into the First Programme in 1952.

In its early days, Athens Radio Station was inaugurated by King George II and quickly became notable for its theme music, a pastoral tune known as Tsopanákos, or “Little Shepherd,” which symbolised the station’s cultural identity. When WWII erupted, the station played a central role in updating the public on the Greek-Italian conflict, providing morale-boosting reports, and broadcasting patriotic appeals. Just before German forces occupied Athens, station announcers famously warned listeners not to believe the propaganda soon to air.

During the occupation, the station was controlled by German forces, who used it for propaganda purposes. However, the Greek staff reportedly disrupted broadcasts by feigning technical issues to reduce the effectiveness of these messages. In October 1944, as German forces withdrew, they attempted to destroy the station’s transmitters. Thanks to efforts by Austrian technician Eberhard Wichenbach and Greek staff, only one of the three transmitters was destroyed, allowing the station to broadcast Greece’s liberation with the Greek national anthem.

After the war, the station was managed by the newly established National Radio Foundation (EIR), which replaced the wartime broadcasting authority and continued operations under the new title “First Programme” in 1952. The Athens Radio Station’s enduring legacy in Greek broadcasting is rooted in its pioneering role in Greek radio and its contribution to both wartime resistance and post-war recovery.

Source: Wikipedia