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August 22- August 29,2004 |
RAI scrambles its news programmes
Canadian television station Telelatino can no longer broadcast the Telegiornale newscast
By Francesco Riondino
Originally Published: 2004-08-08
In order to limit the unauthorized use of the RAI International signal by cable and satellite distributors, from July 28 we have been encrypting our signal for North America (NTSC)."
"This measure," explained RAI International vice-director Erasmo Leonetti in a communiqué, "will also affect Telelatino, which for close to one year has been broadcasting our 8pm TG1 newscast without a contract and defying RAI's requests to avoid any editing and advertising."
This means that Telelatino has had to drop Telegiornale, RAI's daily newscast "This is the real discrimination," claimed TLN President Aldo Di Felice, who entrusted host Roberto Zito a program titled Rai Canada, broadcast in the same time slot as the old Telegiornale where he restates the station's position.
In a recent press release, TLN remarked, "after over 20 years on air, RAI programmes are not being broadcast on Telelatino anymore. This 'Canadian crisis' wasn't caused by the CRTC nor by Telelatino, but by RAI International's management."
"Until September 2003," continued the communiqué, "Telelatino carried over 3,000 hours of RAI programmes a year. Then TLN relented to RAI International pressure and stopped broadcasting RAI programs, except for a daily newscast, TG1, aired at 8 p.m. in Italy.
"This week, RAI International took even that newscast away from TLN. Only in a 'Machiavellian [sic] nightmare' one can believe that all this is done to favour the interests of Italian-Canadians.
"Telelatino regrets that the current management of RAI International continues to politicize this issue instead of taking this opportunity for a concrete dialogue among the parties."
"Telelatino hopes that the management of RAI International will reconsider its strategy, stop withholding RAI programs from TLN, and will start implementing the agreements reached four years ago for the launch of RAI Canada, a channel with 20 hours a day of RAI programmes," concluded the communiqué. "With RAI International's co-operation, this channel could be launched within a very short time, benefiting the whole Italian-Canadian community."
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