Silvio Berlusconi already controls three of the four main private TV channels in Italy, but he is intent also on using patronage to dominate Rai, the public sector network. When the prime minister of a country and its most powerful media magnate are the same person, how healthy can its democracy be?
On 22 February 2002, after many arduous days of negotiation, the board of directors of Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), Italy’s state-run terrestrial television system, was finally appointed. That day the sixth largest economy of the planet, became an interesting case-study for media scholars and social scientists from all over the world. Italy, in fact, will give them the unique opportunity to investigate ‘in the field’ the effects on a capitalist democracy of a prime minister with control of the six biggest terrestrial television channels in the country (totaling more than 90% of the national daily audience).
Berlusconi’s handshake
It is widely known that Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s prime minister, is the main shareholder in Mediaset, which operates three out of the country’s four private terrestrial television channels. In 2001, they attracted 43.17% of Italian television viewers. Equally widely known is the political use that Berlusconi has made of his channels.
During the 2001 election campaign, for example, Berlusconi was on the screen of Mediaset channels for 1427 minutes, compared to the 887 minutes of Francesco Rutelli, his centre-left opponent (data quoted in G. Pasquino ed., Dall’Ulivo al governo Berlusconi, il Mulino, 2002). Read the rest of this entry »
