Media mogul Berlusconi blitzes Italian TV ahead of election
Silvio Berlusconi might own half of Italy’s TV channels, but he now seems determined to appear on every station in an effort to saturate the media with his feel-good message ahead of an April 9 general election. Berlusconi, who built a business empire around his three Mediaset television stations, has surprised broadcasters by shifting seamlessly, and often unannounced, from serious political interviews to lightweight chat shows. Since January 9, not a single day has gone by without the tycoon politician appearing on at least one TV or radio show, except for December 14, when he called an impromptu news conference, which was broadcast on TV. The election campaign officially will start when Parliament is dissolved, provisionally expected for January 29. At that point, Italian broadcasters will have to give equal air time to the various parties under a restrictive election law that bans all forms of paid TV political adverts. Italy’s leading daily, Corriere della Sera, said Berlusconi’s media blitz was an attempt to get as much coverage as possible before the election rules come into force. (Houston Chronicle, Reuters,January 23, 2006)
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