Apoyevmatini Rumored to Close

Mavi Boncuk |A Greek-language daily newspaper published in Istanbul since 1925 is to close because of financial problems and the gradual erosion of its audience base.

The paper, Apoyevmatini[1], has helped to keep the Greek language alive among Greeks living in Turkey while informing the community of important news.

At one period in its 89-year history, it sold as many as 30,000 copies a day. Recently, sales have been numbered in hundreds.

The owner, Mihail Vasiliadis, said: "There are only 605 Greek families in Istanbul. I sell 600 copies daily and reach almost 99% of them. However, that is not enough."

Apoyevmatini survived with a financial contribution from the Greek government and contributions from Istanbul's declining Greek community, which is now thought to be no more than 1,700. The paper also suffered badly from Greece's economic crisis

[1] Apoyevmatini (in Greek: Απογευματινή, meaning "Afternoon (newspaper)", alternative transliteration Apogevmatini) is a daily Greek-language newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. The newspaper was founded on 12 July 1925 and is still being published until today. Following the Turkish Cumhuriyet, Apoyevmatini is the second most senior daily newspaper founded after the Republic of Turkey came into existence, its readers being mostly Greeks in Turkey.

Apoyevmatini was initially founded as a collaboration between Konstantinos Vasileiadis (in Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Βασιλειάδης), holder of the publishing license, and Odysseas Krystalidis (Οδυσσέας Κρυσταλλίδης), owner and operator of printing facilities, and experienced individual in newspaper distribution. Editor-in-chief until 1927 was Kavalieros Markouizos (Καβαλιέρος Μαρκουΐζος), who adopted the motto[6] still being used in the newspaper, Victor Hugo's "New epochs bring new missions" (in Greek: Αι νέαι εποχαί επιβάλλουσι και νέα καθήκοντα). Appropriate for the time, the motto reflected the transition that the Greek community was facing, following the emergence of the newly formed Republic of Turkey out of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1927 Grigorios Giaveridis (Γρηγόριος Γιαβερίδης) becomes editor-in-chief until his death, on 1 August 1979. After this date, his brother-in-law Dr. Georgios Adosoglou (Γεώργιος Αδόσογλου) along with his brother, Vasileios Adosoglou (Βασίλειος Αδόσογλου) followed up in the administrative duties. In their times another motto was introduced, and used along with the first one; "Ουδείς γεννάται, ουδείς αποθνήσκει άνευ της Απογευματινής" (Nobody gets born, nobody dies without Apoyevmatini). This was probably a discreet hint on the newspaper's potential demographic significance, since it is up to this date habitual for Greek families to announce births, baptisms, matrimony, deaths and memorial services to newspapers.