The managing director and his deputy have resigned from ERT, Greece’s public broadcaster.

Vassilis Costopoulos and his deputy Giorgos Thalassinos have quit according to local reports and following alleged pressure from the government’s Deputy Minister, Leferis Kretsos, at the Ministry of Information & Communications.

Reports say that sources close to Kretsos attributed the resignations to a breakdown in communication between the government and the broadcaster’s senior management. The ERT executives reportedly met with Ministry officials in a special meeting on November 1^st, and complained about excessive influence from government officials.

However, another suggestion is that Thalassinos is blaming “excessive intervention” from the broadcaster’s staff unions, and has claimed that too many staff are inadequately qualified and do not speak English.

The government says the two executives will be replaced.

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