On Thursday’s broadcast, 14 August 2025, we connected live from Prespes for a morning greeting and spoke with Thomas Manouris, president of the Association of Tourism and Related Activities of Prespes. We discussed the summer activities in the region, its comparative advantages, its renowned products, and attractions ranging from boat rides to the hermitages of Great Prespa, to the Kokkalis and Zachariadis caves that bear witness to historic moments from the time of the Civil War.
Right after the headlines, we spoke by phone with Mr. Antonis Rallatos, a forester and board member of the Panhellenic Union of Public Sector Foresters, about wildfires in the era of climate crisis, the reasons behind their increase, and how a fire protection system should function year-round – with experienced staff in permanent positions who contribute both to winter preparedness and to firefighting in the summer.
In the second hour, we met a young musician, composer, singer, and music teacher, Maria Firlíngou, originally from Mytilene and now living and working in Agrinio. We listened to songs from her debut album, where she sets to music poems written or translated by Kostas Karyotakis.
In the final part of the program, we connected with the city of Kastoria. On the line was Mr. Christos Gioves, president of the Kastorian Association of New York “Omonoia.” He spoke about the history of the association, founded in 1910, the Kastorian compatriots in America who always remember their hometown and villages and return, and the association’s initiatives focused on supporting the vulnerable and those in need. He described the scholarships the association offers to students from Kastoria, the soup kitchens, and other initiatives aimed at easing hardship. He also reflected on the Kastoria he left behind when he emigrated 55 years ago, and how he sees his homeland changing year after year. We closed with a reference to the festive season, with his personal recommendation of the village fair in Pentavryso, Kastoria, for the Feast of the Virgin Mary.
The program concluded with the sports news, presented by Petros Mavrogiannidis in the studio.