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Dec 15 - Dec 22,2002 |
RAI International quits TLN
Announcement made during Comites conference of Italian immigration
By Antonio Maglio
Originally Published: 2002-11-24
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Massimo Magliaro
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Massimo Magliaro, director of RAI International, minced no words in expressing his company's disappointment with its Canadian partner, Telelatino, the station that rebroadcasts some programmes of Italy's state television. Given during the second national conference on emigration, Magliaro's speech hit - to use a TV metaphor - record ratings.
He mentioned lack of professionalism in placing Italian programmes, unwarranted cut-ins "to insert some ravioli ads," and the commercials themselves "that in Italy not even a neighbourhood TV station would broadcast." He added: "They even interrupted the Pope's Angelus prayer!"
So that's it! RAI turns a new leaf. The contract with Telelatino will be rescinded and an application will be submitted to the Canadian Radio Television Commission (CRTC) in order to obtain a channel for RAI International, broadcasting 24 hours a day. The conference promptly and unanimously voted a document in support of these initiatives, hastily prepared by Gino Bucchino and Carlo Consiglio.
Massimo Magliaro talked to us about his speech.
A speech worthy of a star.
"Imagine that! I just said what I think and have been thinking for awhile. Now, however, there is the possibility to act upon those thoughts, because many objections have been overcome. Enough is enough; what Telelatino did to our programmes went beyond what the Lansquenets did to Rome. A devastation, because on the average RAI programmes - and I'm not saying this to defend my company - is very high."
You mentioned obstacles that had to be overcome. How did you do it?
"With very simple reasoning. First, after the concession of the right to vote abroad it was unthinkable that Italian-Canadians could be denied the right to up-to-date information. How could they vote, otherwise? Second, a country like Italy has 60 million emigrants all over the world, including MPs, ministers, presidents of Parliaments; owns 70 percent of the world's cultural heritage; and is increasingly visible abroad. Such a country cannot afford to lack an instrument of international information. We could not continue to entrust this tool to a commercial station, with objectives very different from our own. We had to carry Italy to Canada directly. And there's another reason."
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