Greece’s broadcasting watchdog fined six private television and radio stations a total of 125,000 euros yesterday for interfering with the police’s handling of a hostage crisis two months ago.

The stations — Star, Alter, Antenna and Mega TV, as well as the Antenna and Alpha radio stations — had put on the air, live, the two Albanians who had taken 23 people hostage in an Attica KTEL bus on December 15. At the time, police experts were involved in a highly delicate negotiating process with the hostage-takers, which was hampered by the TV and radio broadcasts.

The National Council for Radio and Television (ESR) imposed fines ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 euros on the six stations.

The hostage crisis ended without bloodshed after 19 hours, but police and government officials complained that the broadcasting media had nearly derailed the negotiations by allowing the gunmen to feel in control of the situation — an impression negotiators had worked hard to undermine.