Editor-in-Chief at ERT during the first Andreas Papandreou administration. Chairman of the Board of Directors of RIK. First News Director of the Alpha Cyprus and ANT1 Cyprus Groups.

These are just a few of the positions held by Giorgos Tsalakos during his nearly fifty-year career in journalism, a pillar of Cypriot print and electronic media who “passed away” today, plunging relatives, friends, colleagues, and all those who knew him throughout his steadfast and enduring career.

READ ALSO: Cypriot journalism is poorer for his loss: Giorgos Tsalakos has “passed away”

From his childhood in Lysi—now under occupation—to his law studies at the Kapodistrian University of Athens. His involvement in Greece’s post-dictatorship political events, his articles in the magazine “Anti,” and his editorial work for the newspaper “Exormisi.” From 1981 to 1992, he worked in the “halls” of political reporting at Greek Public Radio and Television, on countless assignments alongside Andreas Papandreou, and in the Editorial Department of ERT. Whatever position he took on, Giorgos Tsalakos was a tireless “pioneer” of accurate and objective journalism.

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He credits his return to Cyprus to Nikos Pattichis, the publisher of “Fileleftheros,” who offered him the position of editor-in-chief of the magazine “Selides.” He tentatively—cautiously—at RIK with two programs on historical and political topics and participated in the organization and coverage of the 1993 presidential elections, introducing innovative techniques modeled after Greek television. And then came the offer from Loukis Papafilippou to take over as News Director at ANT1.

Seventeen full years: He laid the foundations of Cypriot private television. He taught television reporting like no one else at the time. He pioneered new approaches to presenting news broadcasts and current affairs programs. He championed respect for the viewer and played a decisive role in establishing current affairs as a product of research and professional ethics. From his office, the studio, or the station’s control room, he would break the global exclusive story of Öcalan’s arrest and the transfer of S-300 missiles to Crete.

Later, he would collaborate with Socrates Hasikos, in his capacity as General Manager of the AlfaMedia Services Group.

And then came Alpha Cyprus… Another television station still in its “infancy,” which required him to act methodically and in close collaboration with the Board of Directors, management, and staff. The venture worked flawlessly and soon became the leading station on Cypriot television. As an expert in television, George Tsalakos “took the station to new heights” with his experience and sound guidance of the editorial team, elevating the station’s news broadcast and current affairs programs.

His most recent professional position was at Omega Channel, where he served as General Manager until 2022. He subsequently took on the role of management consultant on news operations and strategic development.

READ ALSO: Alpha “bids farewell” to journalism mentor Giorgos Tsalakos (VIDEO)

In addition to the rich legacy he leaves behind in the fields of news and television in Cyprus, Giorgos Tsalakos recently presented his book to the public “In the Battle of History, as I Lived It (Vol. I: 1932–1959),” which is an account by the late President of the Republic of Cyprus, Spyros Kyprianou, of the events of the period 1932–1959, that is, from his birth through the Zurich-London Agreements and the founding of the Republic of Cyprus.

READ ALSO: Emotion and glamour at the celebration marking Alpha Cyprus’s 10th anniversary

As part of the celebratory event marking Alpha Cyprus’s 10th anniversary, held last May, he was honored by the station’s management and executive team for his many years of service in the field of accurate and objective news reporting.