1997 in Italian television

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This is a list of

Italian television
related events from 1997.

Events

The RAI-Mediaset duopoly shows the first signs of crisis ; several shows by the two estates are suspended or change their host for low ratings, while the new media, as Internet and the satellite television, spread also in Italy.

  • July 31. The Maccanico law, ruling the telecommunications, is approved by Italian Parliament. A single subject is forbidden to own more than 20% of national networks and 30% of the economic resources; RAI 3 must become a service channel, publicity free; AGCOM (Autorità per le garanzie nelle comunicazioni) is instituted. The law should terminate the RAI-Mediaset duopoly, but its concrete application is postponed to 2003 (actually, it will remain on paper).[1]

RAI

  • February 22:
    Paola e Chiara
    , with Amici come prima, win among the new proposals.
  • March 16:
    trash TV. For Venier, as for many other RAI defectors, the experience in Mediaset will be disappointing.[2]
  • June 23: RAI 3 airs the first episode of Friends.[3]
  • September 29: the first RAI satellite channel, RAISAT 2, aimed to the youngest ones, begins broadcasting. Soon, the entertainment channel RAISAT 1 (October 27) and the educational RAISAT 3 (October 13) and Uninettuno University TV (November 10) follow. All the four channels are free.[1]
  • October 9:
    Nobel Prize for literature. The RAI cameras shot the historical moment.[4]
  • November 3: Enrico Montesano leaves, for low ratings, the hosting of Saturday evening show Fantastico Enrico; Giancarlo Magalli takes his place, with slightly better results. It's the last edition of Fantastico, the most popular RAI show in the Eighties.[2]
  • November 15: the match Italy-Russia, for 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, it's the 1997 most seen TV program, with 16.700.000 viewers.[3]

Private channels

  • March 4: on
    TMC
    , the dating show Strettamente personale shows, for the first time in Italy, a young gay (the Croatian Elvis Busic) looking for a stable relationship with another man. The program arouses many controversies by the Catholics.
  • April 14: TMC rips off from RAI part of the TV rights on Serie A and particularly the one to the synthesis of a match, traditionally broadcast the Sunday evening. RAI serves the exclusive on the match of the National team, for fifty billion liras.[2]
  • September 1.
    Rete A frequencies. [5]
  • September 20, the newborn MTV Italia organizes and airs a U2 concert form Reggio Emilia with the presence of several emerging Italian bands.
  • November 27: Mike Bongiorno celebrates his fifty years of career (he debuted on radio in 1947) and enters in the Guinness World records as the TV presenter been active for the longest time, with 7500 presences in video.[6]

Pay TV

Awards

14. Telegatto award, for the season 1996-1997.

Debuts

RAI

Serials

Variety

News

  • A sua immagine (in his image) – religious program aimed to the Catholics, hosted by Lorena Bianchetti and others; again on air.[9]
  • Pinocchio – program of journalistic insight hosted by Gad Lerner; 2 seasons.
  • Pole position – magazine about Formula One; 21 seasons.
  • TG2 motori – column about motors, again on air.[10]

Educational

  • La grande storia (again on air) and La storia siamo noi (hosted by Giovanni Minoli, on air till 2013) – cycles of historic documentaries, focused on the Twentieth Century.[11]
  • Magazzini Einstein – documentaries about art and culture; on air till 2013.
  • Speciale Superquark (spin-off of Superquark, hosted by Piero Angela, on air till 2015) and Passaggio a Nord-ovest (North-West passage, hosted by his son Alberto Angela, again on air) – programs of popular science, history and travels.[12]

For children

  • Lupo Alberto – cartoon from the comic strip by Silver, the protagonist is voiced by Francesco Salvi ; 2 seasons.
  • Glu-glu – block-programming of cartoons on RAI SAT 2, one of the first RAI show realized for the satellite; 2 seasons.

Mediaset

Serials

Variety

  • Sarabanda – musical quiz, inspired by Name that tune and hosted by Enrico Papi and Teo Mammuccari; 10 seasons (Italian record for a musical show, with 1777 episodes, specials included). The show gets a wide public success, so much so that its timetable is often changed to not harm the other Mediaset programs. It arouses yet several controversies about the regularity of the contest.
  • Ciro il figlio di target (Ciro, the Target's son[14]) – satirical variety ideated by Gregorio Paolini, hosted by Gaia De Laurentis and Enrico Bertolino, with various comic actors, among which Luciana Litizzetto stands out; 5 seasons (with slightly different titles).[15]

News and educational

  • Le iene (The hyenas) – infotainment show, Italian version of the Argentinian Caiga quien caiga, with various hosts, generally female (Simona Ventura, Alessia Marcuzzi, Ilary Blasy, Nadia Toffa); again on air. It's a mix of reportages and interviews, realized, often in a very provocative tone, by actors dressed as the Reservoir dogs’ characters. The program, despite the charges of sensationalism,  is now again one of the most successful of the Italian television ad has generated several special editions and spin-off.[16]
  • La macchina del tempo (Time machine) – show of popular science, hosted by Alessandro Cecchi Paone, considered the Mediaset answer to the Piero Angela's programs in RAI ; 9 seasons and a reprisal.
  • Fuego – magazine aimed to the young ones, hosted by Alessia Marcuzzi and others; 3 seasons.[17]
  • Angeli (Angels) – magazine about spirituality and ESP experiences, hosted by Marco Liorni; 3 seasons and a reprisal.

Other channels

  • Hitslist Italia (till 2016) and
    MTV Italia
    .

Television shows

Rai

Drama

Biopics
  • Padre Pio da Petralcina, by Alberto Rondalli, with Antonio Buil Pejo in the title role.[20]

Miniseries

Serials

  • L’avvocato delle donne (The women's lawyer) – legal drama with Mariangela Melato, from the book of the feminist lawyer Tina Lagostena Bassi.[22]
  • In nome della famiglia (In name of the family) – by Vincenzo Verdecchi, with Ivo Garrani and Elisabetta Cavallotti; soap-opera about the vicissitudes of the Carraras, a family of publishers. It lasts just a season; later, it has a follow-up (Ricominciare), the same unsuccessful.
  • Disokkupati (Unemployed) – demented sit-com directed and interpreted by Pier Francesco Loche, with Paolo Ferrari and Sabina Impacciatore; it tells the uneasy cohabitation between an aged retiree and his lodgers, three young unemployed.
Cartoons

Variety

  • Anima mia – hosted by Fabio Fazio and Claudio Baglioni, it's the public and critic success of the year. The show recalls, with tenderness and irony, the pop culture of the Seventies, also in its most kitsch sides; many forgotten stars of the decades are guest in studio (as I cugini di campagna, whose tune gives the name to the program).  
  • Macao – by Gianni Boncompagni, hosted by Alba Parietti and, later, by the “virtual showman” Mr. P. The show, too experimental and nonsense for the audience, is suspended for low ratings; however, it reveals young comic actresses, as Sabina Impacciatore and Paola Cortellesi.[24]
  • Pippo Chennedy Show – satirical variety hosted by Serena Dandini, with Corrado and Sabina Guzzanti and Neri Marcorè. The actors play now famous personalities of politics and entertainment (as Silvio Berlusconi, impersonated by Sabina Guzzanti), now imaginary characters, inspired by social phomenons (as the narcissistic TV anchorman Pippo Chennedy, impersonated by Corrado Guzzanti).[25]
  • Colorado – game show of the early evening, hosted by Alessandro Greco (substituted by Carlo Conti for low ratings).
  • Va ora in onda (And now on air) – comic variety with Carlo Conti and Giorgio Panariello.

News and educational

  • Mani pulite – cycle of four documentaries, care of Pino Corrias and others.
  • The Kremlin's archives – care of Arrigo Levi.

Mediaset

Drama and comedy

Miniseries

Serials

Variety

  • 6 del mestiere? (Are you of the trade?)– game show with Claudio Lippi and Luana Ravegnini, Italian version of Pwy di Pwy?; two contenders have to guess the work of six workers present in the studio.
  • Dillo a Wally (Tell Wally it) – comic variety with Gene Gnocchi, parody of the trashing talk show.
  • Il gatto e la volpe (The cat and the fox) – game show hosted by Paolo Bonolis.
  • Volevo salutare (I wanted to say hello) – musical show with Linus and Albertino, the first in Italy to be aired simultaneously on TV (Italia 1) and on radio (Radio Deejay).

In the fall, no less than four Mediaset variety are suspended for low ratings:

  • 100 milioni più IVA (100 millions and IVA) – musical quiz hosted by Iva Zanicchi, suspended after the first number and then reprised.
  • Ciao Mara – talk show hosted by Mara Venier.
  • Tiramisù – game show hosted by Pippo Baudo.
  • Una volta al mese (Once by month) – monthly variety hosted by Pippo Baudo; the program is talked about above all for the lapses in taste committed by Baudo, usually a very professional presenter.

Other channels

  • A casa loro (Odeon and Telecampione) – financial magazine.
  • Televiscion (Telenorba) – sit-com by Gerardo Nunziante with Emilio Soflrizzi; a parody of the trash TV already then in vogue on the major Italian televisions.through a fictional quiz reserved to the married couples and aired by a Bari television.

Networks and services

Launches

Network Type Launch date Notes Source
Classica HD Cable and satellite Unknown
Discovery Channel Cable and satellite 1 September
Hallmark Channel Cable and satellite 1 September

Conversions and rebrandings

Old network name New network name Type Conversion Date Notes Source

Closures

Network Type Closure date Notes Source

Ending this year

  • Caro maestro
  • Ciack
  • Luna Park
  • Non dimenticate lo spazzolino da denti
  • Più sani e più belli
  • Se io fossi... Sherlock Holmes
  • Sotto a chi tocca
  • Telemenù
  • Ultimo minuto

Death

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bruno, Somalvico (October 25, 2012). "cronologia radiotelevisiva IV: 1993-2008: 1996-2001". cronologia radiotelevisiva IV. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  2. ^ a b c Almanacco di Epoca 1997 (in Italian). Milano: Mondadori. 1998.
  3. ^ a b Hit (2010-09-07). "Auditel Rewind - 1997". TvBlog (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  4. ^ "Milano-Roma 1997/98 - Anteprima: Ambra Angiolini e Dario Fo - Video". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  5. ^ "1° settembre 1997: Mtv Italia comincia le sue trasmissioni". www.rivistailmulino.it (in Italian). 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  6. ^ "GUINNESS: ENTRA MIKE BONGIORNO, CON ALTRI 52 ITALIANI". www1.adnkronos.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  7. ^ "Linda e il Brigadiere". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  8. ^ "Milano-Roma". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  9. ^ "A Sua immagine". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  10. ^ Tg2 Motori (in Italian), 2023-01-15, retrieved 2023-01-19
  11. ^ "La Grande Storia". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  12. ^ "Passaggio a Nord Ovest". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  13. ^ "Dottoressa Giò". Mediaset Play. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  14. ^ The title hints to another Paolini's show (Target) and to a controversial episode, when the actress Sandra Milo, on air, burst into tears calling the son Ciro because the fake news of an accident.
  15. ^ "Ciro, il figlio di Target". Mediaset Play. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  16. ^ "Le Iene 1997/1998". Mediaset Play. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  17. ^ "Fuego". Mediaset Play. Archived from the original on 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  18. ^ "Davide". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  19. ^ "Salomone". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  20. ^ "Padre Pio - S1997 - Padre Pio da Pietrelcina - Video". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  21. ^ "Mamma per Caso". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  22. ^ "L'avvocato delle donne". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  23. ^ "La Principessa Sissi - Serie Animata". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  24. ^ "Macao". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  25. ^ "Pippo Chennedy Show". RaiPlay (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  26. ^ Bava, Lamberto, Fantaghirò 5 - Il ritorno di Fantaghirò: Fantaghirò 5 - Il ritorno di Fantaghirò Video, retrieved 2021-02-23
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