Dysfunctional Government Spreads Confusion To Public Broadcaster

Michael Hedges July 23, 2018 Follow on Twitter

Most European public broadcasters are inextricably tied to their respective governments, legislators and political party activists. Politicians directly or indirectly influence top appointments and, therefore, strategies and practices. They also have ultimate control over finances, occasional limitations notwithstanding. Any major shift in electoral politics eventually bares effect on public broadcasting. To the victors go the spoils.

Parliamentary elections in Italy last March brought on the kind of political dealmaking not seen since the last election cycle. A government was finally formed three months later with prominence given to the center-right coalition made up of right-wing populist Lega, Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy). The left-wing populist Five Star Movement joined to form the new government with the center-left establishment Democratic Party (PD) shrinking. Leaders of the governing coalition have quite different views on public broadcaster RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana.

Like many public broadcasters, RAI has layers of legal and organizational supervision meant to limit domination by a single political party. Those structural changes largely followed the Berlusconi years. The result, however, has allowed major parties to take strategic control over individual RAI TV channels, including news operations.

Coincident with the resolution of Italy’s political turmoil, the mandate of the RAI board of directors expired at the end of June. A political agreement, reported Il Fatto Quotidiano (July 17), designated one board member each for the Five Star Movement, Lega, Fratelli d’Italia and Democratic Party. RAI employees named Riccardo Laganà, representative of the technicians union, reported primaonline.it (July 20) The two remaining will be named by the Council of Ministers; the Ministry of Economy and Finance being RAI’s legal owner. Minister of Economy Giovanni Tria, appointed in June, is considered aligned with the Lega except for favoring Eurozone membership. His tenure, reported Bloomberg (July 20), is considered tenuous.

To replace current RAI president Monica Maggioni the seven member board will make a nomination.. That will be passed to the supervisory committee for confirmation, two-thirds majority needed. neither Five Star Movement nor Lega holding a majority. Alberto Bartachini, representing Forza Italia, was recently elected president of the supervisory committee. It is expected that the new RAI president will be favorable to Lega and a new general director, replacing Mario Orfeo, will be favorable to the Five Star Movement.

RAI currently operates 15 television channels and nine national radio channels. The main TV channels include three general interest channels - RAI 1, RAI 2 and RAI3 - each with separate news staff, entertainment channel RAI 4 and culture/music channel RAI 5. Radio channels include mostly news Radio Uno, talk and pop music channel Radio Due, classical music and culture channel Radio Tre, classical music and opera channel and nationwide highway traffic report and weather channel Isoradio.

“The era of political affiliations must end the influence of the government and politics on RAI journalists,” said Chamber of Deputies president and Five Star Movement member Roberto Fico, quoted by news agency ANSA (July 19). “Everything must change, starting with the Board of Directors… to restore total dignity to a company fundamental to the country.” Mr. Fico had been chairman of the RAI Supervision Commission from 2013 until assuming the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies. Among the changes proposed by the Five Star Movement is limiting the general director’s role and delegating duties broadly. Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio is inclined to “modernize” RAI, along the same lines as Mr. Orfeo, envisioning a “Netflix all’italiana.”

The Lega is much more targeted in its desires for RAI. If the Five Star Movement wants to name the RAI general director, Lega wants to name the directors of main news programs TG1 (on RAI 1) and TG2 (on RAI 2). “The RAI television news is old,” said deputy prime minister and Lega leader Matteo Salvini, quoted by La Stampa (July 1). “I’m seeing fake news on the whole of the network.”

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