Mario Calabresi and his foray into podcasting

“The podcast is the country I love” – that was the only thing missing from Mario Calabresi’s farewell statement and announcement of his entry into politics, as he appears set to stand as a candidate for mayor of Milan. It was, in fact, a farewell to Chora-Will, the multimedia group best known for those things that everyone now listens to: podcasts (including video versions, or vodcasts). 

This appears to be the first instance of a political career emerging from a podcast: in the past, such careers sprang from television, the judiciary, newspapers, trade unions, law enforcement, and even the adult film industry. Now, following the Third Republic, it is time for the ‘Republic of the Podcast’. “After six years and 420 podcast series, I’m leaving Chora,” wrote Calabresi, who has, of course, also edited newspapers, speaking from personal experience. But “Chora has been an extraordinary adventure. It will always remain my home, even though today I have stepped down as editor and am no longer a partner.” Here, in the podcast, lie my roots. 

Entering the political fray via a podcast, only to abandon it due to a conflict of interest with the podcast itself, is truly a novelty – at least in Italy, and perhaps elsewhere in the world too: there are, in fact, high-profile podcasters who have helped the powerful to win, such as Rogan (who later had second thoughts) with Trump, or politicians who become part-time podcasters (California’s Governor Newsom or Veneto’s former Governor Zaia). 

However, this marks something of a first. After all, Italy is now the land of podcasts; there are more podcasts than B&Bs, everyone is producing them, many people are listening to them, and, in any case, it is all anyone is talking about. Calabresi has said he will officially announce his entry into the political fray at the Festa dell’Unità on the 12th, but the gatherings organised by Chora and the other podcasts have now become the new Festa dell’Unità: in this age of snipping off bits and pieces, you listen to a bit of a podcast on the underground, at the gym, or whilst cooking.

However, a hint of this format’s new role had already emerged a few days ago, in the summer’s soap opera, the one centring on Report: Sigfrido Ranucci, who rejected any proposal from Rai other than remaining as presenter of ‘the most famous programme in history’ – to quote him – had been offered the famous range of three options: head of Rainews, or correspondent in Cairo (where, he said, he would have met the same fate as Regeni, again to keep a low profile); finally, deputy director ad personam of Tg3 with responsibility for podcasts.

To date, no government has ever appointed a minister for podcasts. Soon there may be a Ministry of Podcasts (with or without a portfolio?). An authority? And will the portfolio for podcasts be more or less important than, say, a vice-presidency of the CNEL? One can only speculate what Cencelli—the author of that legendary manual on political patronage from days gone by, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago—would have said (but nowadays, instead of a manual, he’d have made a podcast, obviously—never mind).