This is a list of Italian television related events of 1961.
Events
18 January – The liberal Novello Papafava and the Christian Democrat Ettore Bernabei are nominated, respectively, President and General Director of RAI; Bernabei, faithful follower of Amintore Fanfani, will be the true master of the estate for thirteen years. At the beginning, his management is inspired to a line of prudent opening, softening the censure and giving space also to professionals (as Enzo Biagi and Ugo Gregoretti) not aligned with the DC.[1]
1 October. - The socialist Enzo Biagi becomes director of the TV news; he renews the program, giving less space to internal politics and officialdom and more to chronicle and news from the world. This new deal arouses harsh polemics by the right-wing and, after a year, Biagi resigns.[2]
4 November – The Second channel begins the broadcastings. This is the schedule of the first day.[3]
9,05 PM
The war and the victory: special evening about the anniversary of the Italian victory in the first world war (a concert, a documentary and the teleplay The trench, see below)
The new channel airs two hours by day (since 9 PM) and is received only by a half of the Italian population.[1]
12 November. In the Council of ministers, Guido Gonella and Mario Scelba, exponents of the most conservative DC’s wing, attack fiercely the variety shows, the Enzo Biagi's TV journal and the Political tribune (see below) accusing RAI to “have put Togliatti and the ballerinas in the Italian families’ heart.”[4]
On “Il Verri”, the essay Mike Bongiorno’s phenomenology, by Umberto Eco, is published. The writing, despite its playful tone, is one of the first serious analyses of the television as social phenomenon.
Debuts
Serials
Giovanna la nonna del corsaro nero (Giovanna the black corsair's grandmother) – four seasons; directed by Alda Grimaldi, written by Vittorio Metz, with Anna Campori. Cheerful parody of the pirates novels by Emilio Salgari, it was one of the most beloved shows for children of the Sixties; notwithstanding its success, all its tapes were deleted by RAI and now only some amateurish recording survives.
Studio Uno (Studio One) – four seasons; directed by Antonello Falqui, hosted by Mina (in the second season she was temporarily replaced, because pregnant, by Rita Pavone) sided by Italian and international stars as Don Lurio, the Kessler twins, the Bluebell girls, Lelio Luttazzi and Luciano Salce. It's considered the masterpiece of the Italian TV variety, thanks moreover to the spectacular ballets, performed in minimalist scenography, to the Mina's talent, not only as singer but as entertainer too, and to the numerous guest stars. The Quartetto Cetra’s musical parodies get so much success to be developed in a separate show (The Studio One library).[7]
News and educational
Tribuna politica (Political tribune) – political talk show, created after the success of Electoral tribune the previous year, hosted by Jader Jacobelli; in a press conference, a politician faces journalists by various tendencies. The program gives the same space to every party present in the Parliament, the PCI included, and for this reason it is, at the beginning, strongly criticized by the conservatives (see over).
Controfagotto (Contrabassoon[9]) – directed and hosted by Ugo Gregoretti; lifestyle magazine, describing the Italy of the boom in a politely satirical tone.[10]
