Fotis Koutsamparis

Fotis Koutsamparis is a journalist and poet. He is the editor-in-chief of the online newspaper politismika.gr (Cultural Thessaloniki) and its monthly print edition. He hosts the Sunday two-hour Local Government Radio Show "Ta en Dimo" on Space 92.2 FM, which was awarded the best radio journalism show in Northern Greece at the "Chrysa Kirykeia 2002" competition. He is also responsible for the Press Office of Malliaris-Paideia publications. He worked for nearly two decades as a reporter for the newspaper "Macedonia" until its circulation was suspended in October 2017, leading to his resignation. He is a member of the Journalists' Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers (E.S.I.E.M.-Th.) and served as the president of its Primary Disciplinary Council for two terms (2008-2010, 2012-2014). Born in Kavasila, Veroia, on September 11, 1967, he completed his primary and secondary education there and continued his high school education at the 2nd Lyceum of Veroia. He studied journalism at the private three-year school K.E.F.K.S. in Thessaloniki, attended courses in ancient and modern Greek literature for a year, and studied computer science for a year at "Pythagoras." His first attempt at communication with the public was at the age of 12 when he built a medium-wave transmitter and broadcast shows during the summer. The illegal radio station was shut down in 1981 following a police recommendation. That year, he began his involvement in sports, specifically as a goalkeeper for A.E. Kavasilon, where he played as a starter from the age of 14 to 18. He began writing poetry at the age of 16, and in 1983 he compiled his early handwritten works into the collection "The Logic of a Madman." In 1984, he self-published the poetry collection "Overflowing Heart" in Veroia, followed by "Handle with Care" in 1986. In 1985, he participated in a poetry competition organized by the newspaper "TA NEA" with the collection "In the Illusion of Images." As a teenager, he also wrote the revue "Rodakina," which remained in rehearsal by the temporary troupe of the Kavasila Cultural Association, where he served as general secretary from 1984 to 1985. He wrote lyrics for songs ("Youth of Loneliness," "Erotic Awakening," etc.). In 2009, his book "Oblique Glances," which includes seasonal literary works, was published by Malliaris-Paideia. From his elementary school years until after high school, he worked summers as a laborer in fields and canneries, and during his studies in Thessaloniki, he worked simultaneously in workshops, construction sites, and a commercial store, forging a professional path that shaped his career. For one year (1988-1989), he worked exclusively as a laborer in agricultural tasks in Imathia. His first contact with journalism was in 1986 when he took over the literary column of the weekly newspaper "Voice of Alexandria" and paused his collaboration with the newspaper to serve his military service as a reserve non-commissioned officer in the infantry. Upon his discharge from the army in 1988, he began his professional and academic journey. From 1986 to the present, he has collaborated with 9 newspapers, 6 magazines, 8 radio stations, and 2 television stations. He was the publisher of the monthly free press newspaper "Atheras," which circulated in Thessaloniki from 1995 to 1996.