'anCarl Gardner interviewed him for Red Weekly.
•What is the structure of the free radio stations in Italy at the moment?
Well, since the constitutional court decision a really impressive number of and new stations have opened. Today they number 800 in the whole of Italy and there are 52 in Rome alone!
They break down into three different groups. Fifty per cent are commercial stations, transmitting music and advertising; 30 per cent are playthings set up by individuals getting together and transmitting perhaps from 3pm to 1am; and the other 20 per cent, 150 stations, are political course a minority of these are overtly fascist or religious, but at least 120 SICTORS CTe openly declared to be left-wing stations, calling themselves 'democratic' radio. •What is the attitude of the Communist Party [PCI] to neSe ments?
First, there is no station which is openly a PCI station. in late 1975 which effectively deprived the state radio of its broadcasting monopoly. In the last ten months this little-publicised decision has led to an unprecedented explosion in the growth of 'free' radio stations. It has also presented the revolutionary left with a whole number of new problems, for this is the first time anywhere that revolutionaries have gained such unlimited access to the electronic media.
Recently SANDRO SIL VESTRI, a member of the Committee of Citta Future, one of the largest left-wing stations in Rome, and a militant of the GCR [Italian section of the Fourth International] was in London.
that there is a state radio, we don't need 'free radio.
constitution.
TITUTIOn its resistance to the fascists.
constitution. stations. Of question of the radio.
along, they have no line.
develop- • What about the other parties?
They have said stations! ist Party.
bate issues, real creation of something but open ideas by the revolutionary left.
200,000 people. and much faster.
we repres ent about 50 percent of the voters, very easy to raise therefore we will control 50 percent of the state radio. This is why they say As on hundreds of things, they are completely equivocal just now, because they are choosing the way of tne commitee -The Italian cons something that the PC helped to build 30 years ago through • ThereEven official audience research polls say that the state radio has lost half of its listeners between 8pm and midnight. Cla This is because the commercial stations put out better music, while the 'democratic stations give much better news, with more information For example, SIne news of the death of Chairman Mao was given half an hour sooner on Citta ruture man on me state colo • How are the stations financed?
The cost of opening a station is between £3,000 and £4,000, which is Then, because there are no high running costs like paper or printing, there are only the costs of the electricity. rooms and things like that. Only one member of the secretary - Is Of course that is a lot of money for a democratic station which makes no money, but not much for the commerwhich have a lot advertising. All the stations will then be forced to take advertising.
We reject it of course - we say that if we have to pay some royalties, then we will pay onry tor tne records we play. The 50,000 lira to be paid to the society now will go to the fascist writers and musicians as well, which we contacceor • Do you think the experiment will go on? Is there a general united campaign among the left to preserve these stations:
I hope this will happen soon, when the Federation of Democratic Radio
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-UNTRO I MONOPOLIF After a year of hesitation, Italy's supreme court passed a final decision