InfoAnda - Gloomy Greeks forget woes with lavish Turk TV dramas |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Frenchman who ate cellmate's lung gets 30 years jail | | 25 June 2010
Foreign troop deaths in Afghan war top 700 in 2010 | 22 December 2010
Google working with Intel, Sony on TV project: report | | 18 March 2010

Depp gets statue in Serbia | 14 January 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Gloomy Greeks forget woes with lavish Turk TV dramas |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Davos 2012 Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh James Saft Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Geraldine Fabrikant Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Money Money Home Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Life & Culture Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Article Comments (0) Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Obama plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops 04 Jan 2012 "Rage against Americans" cited in L.A. arson case | 8:35am EST Odd allies: Gingrich, Obama align in attacks on Romney 8:28am EST Analysis: Obama consumer chief decision under a legal cloud 11:01am EST Insight: Rivals set to pounce on Santorum's past 9:45am EST Discussed 130 Iran threatens action if U.S. carrier returns: IRNA 114 Obama to help unveil ”realistic” military plan 82 With 48 hours left, Romney eyes Iowa breakthrough Watched iPhone look-alike flies off shelves in China Wed, Jan 4 2012 Iran fires radar-beating missile during Gulf drill Sun, Jan 1 2012 iPhone look-alike flies off shelves in China Tue, Jan 3 2012 Gloomy Greeks forget woes with lavish Turk TV dramas Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Turkey acknowledges killing civilians in Iraq strike Thu, Dec 29 2011 France passes genocide bill, angry Turkey cuts ties Thu, Dec 22 2011 Turkey blasts French genocide bill as racism, cuts ties Thu, Dec 22 2011 Turkey set for spat with France over "genocide" bill Wed, Dec 21 2011 Rights groups condemn arrests of Turkish journalists Wed, Dec 21 2011 Analysis & Opinion For Obamaâ€™s 2012 hopes, it really is the economy Sports review 2011 – A memorable year for the wrong reasons Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Television » Lifestyle » Media » By Karolina Tagaris ATHENS | Thu Jan 5, 2012 10:38am EST ATHENS (Reuters) - When an Athens taxi driver learned his passenger was the boss of an Istanbul-based company that brings Turkish TV dramas to Greece he reached for his phone, called his wife and put her through to the man sitting in the back seat. "She had to know what happens next," Global Agency chief executive Izzet Pinto said with a laugh. "I was expecting success but not like this." It all began when crisis-stricken Greek TV channels realized that buying the glitzy tales of forbidden love, adultery, clan loyalties and betrayal from long-standing regional rival Turkey, was cheaper than filming their own. The action-packed dramas quickly came to dominate the ratings despite the fact that they are broadcast in Turkish with only subtitles in Greek and have gained a devoted following among a Greek populace disheartened by the country's biggest financial crisis in decades. Local commentators even talk of a Turkish invasion, pointing to the history of enmity between the two countries who have been on brink of war on several occasions, most recently in 1996. Relations have warmed and natural disasters in both countries have brought them closer. But Greeks know little about the daily lives of urban Turks and usually view Turkish society with a critical eye. "What Turks didn't achieve with 400 years of military occupation they will achieve with TV occupation," one blogger wrote in reference to the rule of the former Turkish Ottoman Empire, which included modern-day Greece and collapsed at the start of the 20th century. Panoramic views of Istanbul neighborhoods which were once home to large and vibrant Greek communities have also awakened a sense of nostalgia in Greeks for a place they refer to as "The City" or Constantinople. "They remind me of a different era, of Greece in the 1960s when people dominated in life, not material things," said 65-year-old Eleni Katsika, a dentist. "I watch them so I don't get depressed." So fascinated are Greeks with the shows, that groups have started organizing trips to the island of Buyukada off the coast of Istanbul just to gawk at the set of one of the hit dramas, "Kismet." "JUST LIKE US" Between stamping passports in a packed Athens police station, a young officer keeps an eye fixed on a tiny portable TV on the edge of her desk showing repeats of the latest prime-time hit, "Ask ve Ceza" (Love and Punishment). TV ratings for the shows in the small country of 11 million reached 40 percent in the summer, knocked off the top spot only by the occasional Champions League soccer match. Major channels ANT1 and Mega competed by showing a drama each at 9 p.m. and re-runs in the late afternoon. "I realized hatred is manufactured by the guys at the top," said Angeliki Papathanasiou, a 21-year-old law student. "You don't see the bad enemy, you see the real Turk who falls in love, who gets hurt, who is like us," she said of the shows. As a result, dozens of Greek fan pages on Facebook are peppered with Turkish words like "harika" (wonderful) and "guzel" (beautiful). Some Greek magazines have started giving away CDs for intensive Turkish lessons. Some Turks find the Greek success of the shows difficult to fathom despite the proximity of the two countries, which in some areas are separated by just a few miles. "It comes as a shock to me," said Asli Tunc, a media professor at Istanbul's Bilgi University. "Greeks need a new kind of entertainment to forget about their problems and these serials seem to meet that demand for now." They are also a trip down memory lane to days when the economy was better, traditions were cherished, shoe polishers worked every corner and the local grocery store was a point of reference. "'Ezel' and the other series portray a lost dimension of Greek society that has been buried in recent years," novelist Nikos Heiladakis wrote in a local newspaper article about the success of one crime drama. "It awakens in today's Greek a lost identity," he wrote. BREAKING DOWN WALLS? In a way, the dramas are exporting Turkish culture, Global Agency's Pinto said, even to a doubtful market like Greece. "Greeks feel closer to Turks than they did," he told Reuters. "Sometimes soft power is more important than political power." Not everyone shares his sentiments, however. Dozens of pages with names like "Death to Turkish series on Greek TV" or "Rehabilitation centre from Turkish series" have sprung up on Facebook by those who want one series off the air because parts of it were filmed in Turkish northern Cyprus. "Have (the TV channels) forgotten what Greeks went through? Some things cannot be forgotten, they cannot be erased from Greek history," one post on the site read. But for the moment their grip on the audience remains strong and Pinto, whose company distributes three of the dramas to Greek TV and more than 30 other countries, expects to export about five or six dramas to Greece a year. Next year will see the TV release of the controversial hit-series "Muhtesem Yuzyil" (Magnificent Century), based on 16th century sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, which so far has only been released as a DVD. Magazines selling DVDs of the episodes sell out within hours. "I've not missed a single copy," said Yiannis Panagoulis, a 40-year-old handyman. "At this rate I'm going to be speaking Turkish very soon. Who would've thought?" (Editing by Paul Casciato) Entertainment Fashion Television Lifestyle Media Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 5 January 2012
Syrian activists say government armor still in cities |
Exclusive: EU agrees to embargo on Iranian crude |
Kodak prepares for Chapter 11 filing: report |
Analysis: Thompson exit puts focus on PayPal spin-off |
Comcast, Disney ink 10-year carriage deal for TV, Web |
SEC says adviser defrauded investors using LinkedIn |
U.S. online holiday spending up 15 percent: comScore |
Demi Moore fears being unlovable |
Sinead O'Connor says fourth marriage back on |
Hugh Jackman to work more Broadway magic as Houdini |
Nick Cannon hospitalized with mild kidney failure |
James Franco signs deal with Amazon for first novel |
2011 album sales up for first time in U.S. since 2004 |
Syrian activists say troop withdrawal is a sham |
Pakistani Taliban say kill 15 soldiers, vow further revenge |
Prison fight in northern Mexico kills 31 inmates |
Two car bombs kill 12 in Iraq's capital: police |
Landslide kills 25 in Philippine mining area |
Taiwan's Ma sets course for 10 golden years |
Israel's Netanyahu nixes bill on naming top judges |
Yahoo names PayPal's Thompson as CEO |
Kodak prepares for Chapter 11 filing: report |
Nokia board to propose Siilasmaa for chairman: report |
Analysis: Texting profits at risk as users look elsewhere |
Apple hires Adobe officer to lead iAd: report |
Woodford in Japan to decide on bid to run Olympus |
Thompson exit puts focus on PayPal spin-off |
Seagate forecasts strong Q2, Q3; shares jump |
Verizon mobile margins fall on strong iPhone sales |
Barbie to get some Kardashian gal pals? |
U.S. 2011 album sales up for first time since 2004 |
Analysis: Iran could close Hormuz -- but not for long |
Arab monitors to stay in Syria despite mistakes |
Prosecutor seeks death for Egypt's Mubarak |
South Korea says ready for talk with hostile North |
Iran says will survive new sanctions, not worried |
Walls divide Cairo as revolt anniversary nears |
Syrian actress treads new stage in Syrian protests |
Barnes & Noble may split off Nook, cuts forecast |
ICANN to expand top level Internet domains despite critics |
Credit Suisse sees sluggish growth in 2012 handset sales |
Taiwan's Elan says Apple to pay $5 million in patent settlement |
Euro woes may affect Google ad sales: Benchmark |
MetroPCS subscriber numbers disappoint |
Berlin festival to open with French Revolution film |
Gloomy Greeks forget woes with lavish Turk TV dramas |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01