Mentana and his return to Rai. Meloni’s support and the link to the reform

What if Enrico Mentana were to return to Rai? Scroll through FdI’s social media accounts, which are reposting his comments in Cortina (“either La7 opens up to do something that everyone can see, or I think I can do something else with my life”). Read about the unease felt by the editor-in-chief of Tg La7 and the now-announced end of his contract with Urbano Cairo. Meloni would like to have Mentana at Rai. This is not mere rumour. It is a clear-cut view, backed up by the facts. When Meloni agreed to appear on La7 before the regional elections, she chose Mentana to host the programme. When FdI MPs are asked which television journalist is still regarded as authoritative – and we’re not talking about friends or loyalists (of whom there are plenty) – the answer is: Mentana.

His contract expires at the end of December and Meloni is keeping a close eye on Rai’s next prime-time talk show. The right-wing press is already mobilised and ready for the elections, but Rai needs something else. A talk show will be entrusted to Roberto Inciocchi, but the view – not even a particularly well-hidden one on the right – is that Mentana’s return to Rai would restore its prestige, all the more so after the Ranucci-Lavitola affair. Those involved in television on the right believe that Mentana “could do anything at Rai”. And they emphasise: anything. In November, following the electoral law, the government also intends to approve the reform of Rai. The current governance structure will be scrapped, and the right will be able to appoint the top management who will lead the organisation in the future. Mentana wants to continue working as a journalist. There are two credible options, at least so far: the new television channel from the publisher of La Repubblica (with a network yet to be secured) and a return to Mediaset, at the helm of Tg5. The unthinkable option is Rai, the broadcaster where Mentana started out, the public broadcaster, the only one that could build a narrative around Mentana. A television channel that Mentana could ‘run’ – and the meaning of that word is multifaceted.