The future of Report: the Nerazzini proposal or no presenter at all

Rome. Only Salvini, with his outbursts, can save Ranucci from Ranucci himself. What everyone at Rai now knows is that Ranucci will not be presenting the next series of Report, a programme that the executives now feel must be ‘protected’. There is a shortlist of names to replace him and even an extreme solution: to broadcast Report without a presenter, with an introductory summary. The decision by Rai’s chief executive, Giampaolo Rossi, is unavoidable. What if, on the first episode on 8 November, Ranucci were to turn up with the venom of someone intent on using the programme to defend himself? It would be a dystopian episode. The quote being cited is the one guiding the assessment at Rai: “The problem is deciding when, not deciding what”. His departure is the inevitable solution. The Ethics Committee’s assessment of Ranucci could be delivered before mid-August, and now added to this are the emails forwarded by Ranucci to Lavitola, along with his judgements on his Rai colleagues – which he consistently shared with Lavitola. The text of the report serves as a roadmap, but the decision is an editorial and business one, and rests with Rossi. The truth, if it could be fully revealed, is that it is the "Report" editorial team that is hoping for a change, for very simple and understandable human reasons. The programme’s team comprises 43 external contributors and 24 in-house staff. These are substantial contracts with salaries exceeding three hundred thousand euros – figures that no other television broadcaster is able to sustain. Those who work on Report want to carry on even without Ranucci, who is already approaching retirement. He has worked for many years and his accrued holiday entitlement deserves a feature of its own, on how the system works at Rai. For months, Ranucci had been working one day a week – the day of the broadcast, the day of the recording. Without this arrangement, Ranucci would have been forced to take time off to use up his holiday entitlement. Rai is considering one name: Alberto Nerazzini.

If Ranucci truly wishes to save his team, he should, in a spirit of generosity, step down as a Rai executive and protect a community of external contributors who now fear for their future. As is the case with any newspaper or publication, those in charge decide which writers to use and which correspondents they trust. If Ranucci is replaced, how many of those contributors will be retained? And why did Ranucci describe the Rai competition as a sham? Today, the only ones with job security are the ‘Report’ contributors who chose to take part in that competition, and who are now full-fledged Rai employees. Ranucci has, quite rightly, always reminded Rai that his programmes have brought in advertising revenue. And that is true. There is no doubt that ‘Report’ is a defining brand and a ratings champion, but the company is now calculating the cost of the ‘Ranucci affair’ in terms of damaged reputation. Apart from Salvini, who is suggesting he step aside (which is what the Lega is asking of him), Rai expects him to step down voluntarily to protect the team. The Rai Ethics Committee, which is about to give its ruling, comprises the Head of Legal Affairs, Francesco Spadafora – the lawyer who has defended Ranucci in court on several occasions, a professional whom the presenter himself has praised. Other senior Rai executives are also on the committee: Stefano Coletta (Director of Programme Coordination), Delia Gandini (Director of Internal Audit), Stefania Pennarola (Head of Corruption Prevention), and Felice Ventura (Director of Human Resources). Rai is also considering other internal candidates to succeed Ranucci. Among the possibilities is the Tg1 presenter, Alessio Zucchini. Another is Maria Cuffaro, Tg3’s foreign correspondent. The third name who could breathe new life into "Report" is the man who tried his hand at producing a "Report"-style programme, without the usual intensity, on La7. That is Alberto Nerazzini, who worked with Milena Gabanelli and, together with Corrado Formigli, created “100 minuti”. The court documents paint a picture of Ranucci being manipulated by Lavitola – a presenter who was led to believe he could go to Palazzo Chigi rather than host a prime-time programme. Ranucci is, in reality, less to blame than those who turned his head. The ANM hailed him, in ecstasy like Saint Teresa of Ávila, whilst the M5S and the PD, before distancing themselves (Conte and Schlein did not take kindly to Lavitola’s poll), had promoted him to deputy secretary. Rai has a real opportunity to help Ranucci use up his holiday entitlement: the left led him to believe he was a star; let the right invite him onto "Dancing with the Stars".