The growth of
the show transported Maroulleti from her WNYE public radio studio in
Brooklyn to a larger, more sophisticated space in Astoria. Happily,
this new location placed her in the heart of Queens' Greek community.
In 1995 the program took another leap in stature when it was picked up
for broadcast throughout the country. It is currently the only
bilingual Greek-American radio show on U.S. airwaves, broadcasting in
such cities as Philadelphia and Boston.
News correspondents from Greece and Cyprus enable AKTINA FM to keep
Greek and Cypriot Americans abreast of current events in their
homelands. Some of the program is broadcast in Greek, the greater part
is in English. In this way Maroulleti hopes to help Greek Americans
who do not speak their ancestral tongue stay connected to their roots.
In addition, the show has successfully managed to attract thousands of
non-Greek fans along with its Greek listeners.
For those who don't pick up the AKTINA signal, there's always (what
else?) the information super-highway. Maroulleti has set up a Web
site, www.aktina.org. "We live in a new era," she says, "and there are
new ways to reach out and touch someone."
The entrepreneurial producer-host's future Internet plans include
programs that will run independently from the radio program. One such
show will offer a special "dedication" format: "We'll play songs for
people across the world," Maroulleti explains. Participants can
request numbers to be dedicated and played for family or friends in
other cities around the U.S. or overseas. (Recipients must, of course,
have Internet access to hear the songs.)
You might think that such a successful and popular show would have
no trouble staying afloat. Not so, says Maroulleti, who not only runs
the non-profit AKTINA, but is also a full-time archivist for ABC News
and a single mom. "When people see that you're really popular, they
think you're rich," she says about the show. But AKTINA is usually in
desperate need of funds.
Although the program is made possible by the non-profit
cultural/educational organizations AKTINA Productions Inc. and CYPRECO
of America, and is also supported in part by the New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cyprus Government and various
Greek and American organizations, recent budget cuts mean the amount
of money for operations is shrinking.
Sponsors for the program are hard to come by, but Maroulleti does
all she can to raise money.
For example, at the end of September, AKTINA will air a radiothon,
with the money raised going to parent station WNYE; WNYE will in turn
help keep AKTINA FM alive.
To bring even more attention to the program, says Maroulleti, on
Oct. 24 the program will celebrate four years on the air with a grand
musical event. Celebrities and political bigwigs from the community
will be featured.
Elena Maroulleti isn't taking on the airwaves single-handedly. She
has a great ally in her daughter, Caroline, 18, who regularly helps
out during the weekend broadcasts. "She's my right hand, and I
couldn't take another step without her," Maroulleti says, adding, "I
don't think you'd find another kid who, every weekend, will sit in a
studio answering phones."
Maroulleti continues to do all she can for the people of Greece and
Cyprus, both here and abroad. But she admits to continued fear for the
future of her homeland. Internal tensions are mounting as the free
southern part of Cyprus prepares to enter the European Union while the
occupied north refuses to become a member. This could jeopardize the
island's fate. "I'm afraid that there will be a war," Maroulleti says.
Whatever the future holds for Cyprus, one Cypriot American is doing
more than her fair share to insure that the cultural voice of her
birth country will continue to be heard.
By MICHAEL SHERIDAN