Albanian TV station Zjarr sparked controversy by featuring braless news anchors to grab attention. In 2016, the channel used provocative formats with scantily clad presenters to boost ratings in Albania, a conservative country. The station’s owner, Ismet Drishti, claimed this approach was necessary to counter Albania’s history of censorship and political manipulation, presenting news “naked” for transparency. One of the stars, Enki Bracaj, became famous for her bold on-screen style but was eventually fired after accepting a Playboy modeling offer. She was replaced by Greta Hoxhaj, who also adopted the revealing look. The provocative format led to viral attention, with one video reaching 700,000 views on YouTube.
Another Zjarr TV newsreader. The story was on the Albanian potato crop…or was it Syria. Did I even have sound on? pic.twitter.com/IrUggDTfdh
— A.C. Edwards (@thesecurityguy1) February 28, 2016
