Deutsche Welle Set to End Greek Service, Slash 160 Jobs
The sweeping austerity measures were greenlit at an emergency joint session of DW's Broadcasting Council, Administrative Board, and senior management, who collectively approved a wide-ranging cost-reduction package in response to a significant financing shortfall.
Germany's 2026 federal budget cut DW's annual government subsidy by €10 million ($11.8 million), bringing total state funding down to €415 million. A separate €11 million gap — the result of collective wage increases that went uncompensated in the budget — pushed the broadcaster's total required savings to €21 million.
In a formal statement, DW acknowledged the scale of the fallout: "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."
Among the most consequential decisions is the termination of DW's Greek-language service after more than six decades of continuous broadcasting. The outlet justified the move by pointing to Greece's stable standing within the European community. "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," the statement read.
DW Broadcasting Council Chair Karl Justen warned that the cuts carry consequences well beyond internal restructuring. "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," he said.
Justen escalated his concern over the geopolitical timing of the reductions, calling it "particularly troubling" that funding is being cut "as Russia and China are investing heavily in their state-run propaganda outlets while the US withdrawal from international broadcasting is creating further gaps." He cautioned that "both the German and European perspectives will be weakened internationally," and closed with a personal note of regret: "We especially regret the closing the Greek service."
Beyond the Greek closure, DW outlined a series of additional structural changes across its global operations. The broadcaster will merge DW German with DW Learn German, nearly halving the combined budget and launching a new integrated format aimed at B1/B2-level language learners outside the DACH region, including participants in pre-integration programs abroad.
Further reductions will hit DW's Portuguese for Africa and Dari/Pashto services, while Spanish-language television news will be scaled back — though primetime broadcasts will be preserved. Several programs across Russian, Portuguese, and multilingual formats are also set to be discontinued.
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