Albanian TV newsreaders strip down to boost audience

A TV grab shows presenter Greta Hoxhaj, 24, during the news edition on Zjarr TV in Tirana. - AFP

Tirana (AFP) - Faced with tough competition to win over audiences, an Albanian TV channel is taking a literal approach towards giving viewers the "naked" truth -- by employing almost-topless newsreaders.

Wearing open jackets and nothing underneath, the young women reading the headlines on Zjarr TV are an unprecedented sight in the conservative Balkan country, where they first appeared on television and Internet screens last year.