Deutsche Welle to shut Greek service, cut 160 jobs after funding reduction in Germany

ISTANBUL

German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) will shut down its Greek-language service, consolidate parts of its German programming, and cut around 160 full-time positions following a reduction in federal funding for 2026, the broadcaster announced Wednesday.

The decision was taken at a joint special meeting of the Broadcasting Council, Administrative Board and management, which approved a comprehensive cost-cutting package.

In the 2026 federal budget, Germany reduced its subsidy to DW by €10 million ($11.8 million), lowering total funding to €415 million.

An additional €11 million shortfall resulting from unadjusted collective wage increases has pushed the total required savings to €21 million.

“Numerous positions across the organization will be eliminated, and investment funds significantly reduced. In purely numerical terms, around 160 full-time positions are affected, although the final number may vary. There will be no layoffs,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

DW will discontinue its Greek-language service after more than 60 years. “Greece has long been a member of the European Union and is a stable democracy with a diverse media landscape, which is why DW must make cuts in this area,” it added.

“DW must remain a strong voice for freedom, especially in restricted media markets such as Russia and Iran. To do that, it needs reliable, long-term funding. Due to the cuts, the broadcaster will have to expect significant losses in reach,” DW Broadcasting Council Chair Karl Justen said.

Justen said it was “particularly troubling” that funding is being reduced “as Russia and China are investing heavily in their state-run propaganda outlets while the US withdrawal from international broadcasting is creating further gaps,” warning that “both the German and European perspectives will be weakened internationally.” He added: “We especially regret the closing the Greek service.”

The broadcaster also announced it will restructure its German-language services by merging DW German with DW Learn German, nearly halving the budget and launching a new integrated format targeting B1/B2-level learners outside the DACH region, including pre-integration participants abroad.

DW will further reduce budgets for its Portuguese for Africa and Dari/Pashto services, scale back Spanish-language TV news editions while maintaining primetime broadcasts, and discontinue several programs across Russian, Portuguese, and multilingual formats.