Rome. Two related, seemingly unconnected events that say a great deal about the situation at Rai during this annus horribilis for public television under the Meloni government: in the space of a few days, on RaiRadio1 itself, ‘Lupus in fabula’ – the programme hosted by Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, a writer, journalist and intellectual who was also at the centre of the clash with the government over the Russian pavilion in Venice – was taken off air, whilst the programme “La mezz’ora legale”, presented by Claudia Conte (who is a journalist, actress and author of a book presented two days ago at the Circolo Canottieri Lazio with a host of guests from FdI, and is also the woman who, a few months ago, stated in an interview that she was in a relationship with the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi). The same broadcaster, two contrasting decisions, even though, given their backgrounds, many would have expected the opposite. What criteria underpin this choice? “Beyond personal judgements, there are viewing figures, costs and also quality,” says Michele Anzaldi, a journalist, former MP for Iv and ex-secretary of the previous Supervisory Commission (a different parliamentary term, a different scenario compared to today’s deadlock). “The decision should, in some way, be substantiated with data to hand, but in the meantime the point is this: Rai is public television and we pay the licence fee partly to watch and listen to programmes that tackle complex issues and have a certain cultural value. And Buttafuoco is a proudly right-wing intellectual who has worked with governments of all political persuasions; he knows television and radio and knows how to command the medium with his theatrical flair, putting himself out there. I therefore consider the cancellation of a programme that had a following and was of high quality to be a serious matter.” And what about the programme that remains on the schedule, the one hosted by Conte? “I repeat: the figures are missing. But even with sky-high viewing figures, if the quality is lacking, what’s the point of calling it a public service? It’s easy enough to rack up viewing figures for the sake of it; just look at the followers of the Neapolitan TikToker Rita De Crescenzo, the one whose video led hordes of people to eat a sandwich in the snow at Roccaraso.” The case of Buttafuoco, says Anzaldi, “who, I repeat, is a proudly right-wing intellectual but also a man capable of independent thought, suggests that the era of political affiliation is over and the era of unquestioning obedience has begun. But there are bodies, such as the Rai board of directors, which, with the facts at hand, if they were to act independently, could demand clarification and even reject a programme schedule. I wonder: if whoever replaces Buttafuoco in that time slot flops, who will pay the price? Will it always be us?” Anzaldi’s indictment points directly to “the last ten years, during which Radio Rai has been deeply in the red, becoming the worst-performing radio group in Italy under Roberto Sergio’s management. RaiRadio1 alone has lost around 40 per cent. But the figures for individual programmes remain top secret, and audience figures continue to be measured through recall-based interviews. Why isn’t electronic audience measurement used? Perhaps out of fear that the real figures might be far lower than those currently sold to advertisers?” Any advice for the new season? “Let’s come together, across the political spectrum, and call on the current and future governments to carry out a serious survey to gather opinions and ideas, interviewing journalists, industry professionals and Italian and foreign experts in the sector to try to understand what form a Rai of the future worthy of the name should take.”
