Christos Tsigiridis
Encyclopedia
Christos Tsigiridis was a Greek electrical engineer and technological pioneer of his era. He was the first who imported the technology of sound reinforcement system
s to Greece
and led the installation of the first sound system in the Greek Parliament. He is mainly known for setting up the first radio station
in Greece and the wider Balkans
in the city of Thessaloniki
.
(today Plovdiv
, Bulgaria
) by Greek parents. The once wealthy and aristocratic family of Georgios Tsigiridis had a hard time, which worsened after his death. In the beginning of the 20th century they are forced to leave and move to Stuttgart
in Germany
. There, they founded a small cigarette production unit which brought enough money to allow Christos to study. Finally, he was able to study in the electrical mechanisms faculty of Stuttgart. A few years later, he was married to Maria Louise Vogel and they moved to Greece together in 1918. They would remain together until her death in 1933.
After moving to Greece, he settled in Larissa
, in the house of his brother, Nikos. There, he was appointed director of the city's Electric Lighting and Water Supply Company. However, he was more interested in pursuing the experiments with wireless communication he had first seen in the university. Therefore he decided to move to Thessaloniki
, aiming to fulfill his vision: to found a radio station.
During the Fair, Tsigiridis sold loudspeakers and sound amplifiers as an agent of the German Siemens & Halske
company. It should be mentioned that the devices were completely unknown in Greece, at that time: his sound reinforcement systems and his loudspeakers in specific were described as "noisy instruments" and caused awe and marvel to people. Most impressive of all was a radio receiver which he installed in the central square of the Exhibitio.
His loudspeakers played spots about the exhibitors and music. The term "loudspeaker" was non-existent at that time in the Greek language. Thus, he improvised a quick direct translation of the English term, which today sounds something like "the big speechmaker" (μέγας λέκτης).
of approximately 400 Watt
power
in the premises of the International Trade Fair. The first radio station of Greece, the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe in general was finally realized. The transmissions began on 25 March 1926, with initially only two listeners, one around Ippodromiou square, and the other in an English ship in Thessaloniki harbour. The high cost of a radio receiver at the time meant that few could afford them; nevertheless, the receivers multiplied soon.
A strict law on radio transmissions had been already passed, and therefore Tsigiridis was forced to operate the transmitter only during the International Trade Fair in September. He kept applying for a long-term broadcasting license, but it was not granted to him for several years.
Tsigiridis operated the transmitter on his own expense, based on income from advertisements. His "station" hosted several artists. The grammophone had just incorporated the electric signal, and since records were rare and Greek record collections even rarer, the musical program consisted of live performances by singers and musicians, in the studio. The most important employees of Tsigiridis in the 1930s were M. Ghrosomanidis, Nikos Karmiris, A. Stratidis, Traianou, K. Tsantsanoglou and others.
At the outbreak of World War II
, Tsigiridis used his radio station to interfere with broadcasts from the Italian radio station of Bari
, which carried out propaganda broadcasts to Greece. It was also Tsigiridis' station that broadcast the news of the Italian invasion
to Thessaloniki, since the Athens radio signal could not reach Northern Greece.
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.
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.
Sound reinforcement system
A sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also distribute those sounds to a larger or more distant audience...
s to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and led the installation of the first sound system in the Greek Parliament. He is mainly known for setting up the first radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Greece and the wider Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
in the city of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
.
Birth and first years
Christos Tsigiridis was born in 1877 in Filibe in the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(today Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) by Greek parents. The once wealthy and aristocratic family of Georgios Tsigiridis had a hard time, which worsened after his death. In the beginning of the 20th century they are forced to leave and move to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. There, they founded a small cigarette production unit which brought enough money to allow Christos to study. Finally, he was able to study in the electrical mechanisms faculty of Stuttgart. A few years later, he was married to Maria Louise Vogel and they moved to Greece together in 1918. They would remain together until her death in 1933.
After moving to Greece, he settled in Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
, in the house of his brother, Nikos. There, he was appointed director of the city's Electric Lighting and Water Supply Company. However, he was more interested in pursuing the experiments with wireless communication he had first seen in the university. Therefore he decided to move to Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, aiming to fulfill his vision: to found a radio station.
The loud speaker, or "big speechmaker"
The first tests on radio transmission were carried out in his home, in Thessaloniki. In 1926 the 1st International Trade Fair was held in the area in front of the 3rd Army Corps premises. Tsigiridis' home was almost across the street, in the former Dimokratias street (nowadays called Vassilissis Olgas).During the Fair, Tsigiridis sold loudspeakers and sound amplifiers as an agent of the German Siemens & Halske
Siemens & Halske
Siemens & Halske AG was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens AG.It was founded on 12 October 1847 as Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske by Ernst Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske...
company. It should be mentioned that the devices were completely unknown in Greece, at that time: his sound reinforcement systems and his loudspeakers in specific were described as "noisy instruments" and caused awe and marvel to people. Most impressive of all was a radio receiver which he installed in the central square of the Exhibitio.
His loudspeakers played spots about the exhibitors and music. The term "loudspeaker" was non-existent at that time in the Greek language. Thus, he improvised a quick direct translation of the English term, which today sounds something like "the big speechmaker" (μέγας λέκτης).
The radio station
In 1926, Christos Tsigiridis set up his transmitterTransmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
of approximately 400 Watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
in the premises of the International Trade Fair. The first radio station of Greece, the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe in general was finally realized. The transmissions began on 25 March 1926, with initially only two listeners, one around Ippodromiou square, and the other in an English ship in Thessaloniki harbour. The high cost of a radio receiver at the time meant that few could afford them; nevertheless, the receivers multiplied soon.
A strict law on radio transmissions had been already passed, and therefore Tsigiridis was forced to operate the transmitter only during the International Trade Fair in September. He kept applying for a long-term broadcasting license, but it was not granted to him for several years.
Tsigiridis operated the transmitter on his own expense, based on income from advertisements. His "station" hosted several artists. The grammophone had just incorporated the electric signal, and since records were rare and Greek record collections even rarer, the musical program consisted of live performances by singers and musicians, in the studio. The most important employees of Tsigiridis in the 1930s were M. Ghrosomanidis, Nikos Karmiris, A. Stratidis, Traianou, K. Tsantsanoglou and others.
At the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Tsigiridis used his radio station to interfere with broadcasts from the Italian radio station of Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, which carried out propaganda broadcasts to Greece. It was also Tsigiridis' station that broadcast the news of the Italian invasion
Greco-Italian War
The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece which lasted from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. It marked the beginning of the Balkans Campaign of World War II...
to Thessaloniki, since the Athens radio signal could not reach Northern Greece.
German occupation
With the beginning of the German occupation, the transmitter was confiscated and Tsigiridis was forced to technically support German-supervised transmissions. Since he was the only one able to operate the equipment, he kept causing trouble to the German transmissions by regularly suspending them for "essential repairs", as he claimed. The Germans imprisoned him, believing they would be able to operate the transmitter by themselves, but it soon proved to be impossible. So they released Tsigiridis the following day in order to operate the station again. Soon they hired a German mechanic to work with Tsigiridis, so as to be instructed on how to operate the transmitter, while they wrote down every move of Tsigiridis. Tsigiridis, being suspicious of the 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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
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 VafiadisMarkos Vafiadis
Markos Vafiadis ]], Ottoman Empire, 1906 – Athens, Greece, February 23, 1992) was a leading figure of the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War.-Pre-war life:...
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
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
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.
Further reading
- Plechova, Olga: The first Greek radio... and the first of Balkans, Barbounakis publications 2002, ISBN 960-267-107-6
- Tyrovouzis, Nestoras: "Macedonia" newspaper and "Radio tsigiridis", University Studio Press 2005, ISBN 960-12-1440-2