situation, made irrelevant connections all the time and the Germans were never able to operate the transmitter by themselves. Finally, they had to install a radio transmitter of 20 kW of their own. During the occupation, the receivers were sealed by the occupiers, and thus Tsigiridis used to tune in BBC in his own receiver (which was left intact by the Germans, in order to be able to relay German stations) and spread the news by word-of-mouth, whenever he got to the cafe. Some time he was almost caught while illegally listening to the BBC, but he instantly set the radio dial on a German radio frequency without being noticed. The last years After the liberation of Greece in October 1944, the transmitter was bought by Markos Vafiadis and operated on behalf of the EAM during the Dekemvriana. In 1945 it was returned to its constructor who started broadcasting again. For approximately one year, the transmitter got a temporary license for continuous transmission. In 1947 the radio station was bought by the National Radio Institution (EIR), which had started broadcasting in Athens in 1938. Tsigiridis' equipment was turned off and a brand-new, more powerful transmitter was installed at the same place. The studios were established at the "House of the Soldier", next to the then-military theatre. Tsigiridis was suddenly idle, since he had no equipment any more and the state broadcasting authority decided not to use him in its new facilities. He finally died the same year. External Articles and References References Thessaloniki Radio Museum Athina 9.84 Radio Museum Further reading Plechova, Olga: The first Greek radio... and the first of Balkans, Barbounakis publications 2002, Tyrovouzis, Nestoras: "Macedonia" newspaper and "Radio tsigiridis", University Studio Press 2005, 1877 births 1947 deaths Scientists from Plovdiv Greek electrical engineers History of radio Radio pioneers Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece Expatriates from the Ottoman Empire in Germany