Rai 1 () is an Italian

free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscripti ...

television channel owned and operated by state-owned

public broadcaster Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

– Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and generalist programming, usually aimed towards families, including ''

TG1 ''TG1'' (''Telegiornale 1'') is the flagship television newscast produced by Rai 1, the main channel of state-owned Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the longest running program in the history of television in Italy as it has been broadcast ...

'' news bulletins, prime time drama, cinema and entertainment, and major

breaking news Breaking news, interchangeably termed late-breaking news and also known as a special report or special coverage or news flash, is a current issue that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming or current news in orde ...

, sports and special events. It was launched on 3 January 1954 as the first regular television service in Italy. It was the only one until 4 November 1961, when RAI launched a second channel. The channel was initially referred to as "Programma Nazionale". It received other names, such as "Rete 1" and "Raiuno" until it adopted its current name "Rai 1". It has the highest viewership in Italy, and regularly competes with Mediaset's Canale 5. In the United Kingdom, it is available in free to air satellite broadcast from

Hot Bird 13B Hot Bird 13B, known as Hot Bird 8 prior to 2012, is a geostationary communications satellite. Operated by Eutelsat, it provides direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting services from geostationary orbit as part of Eutelsat's Hot Bird constellation at ...

Early history

The first set of programming for Rai 1 was almost completely educational with no advertising, except for the popular

Carosello ''Carosello'' () was an Italian television advertising show broadcast on RAI from 1957 to 1977. The series mainly showed short sketch comedy films using live action, various types of animation, and puppetry. It had an audience of about 20 milli ...

. Early shows were meant to teach a common language to a country torn apart by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Shows like ''Non è mai troppo tardi...'' were simply shot in a classroom setting and meant to help with reconstruction. While televisions were not widely available nor affordable, those who could spend the money on them became community leaders and often invited the neighborhood to visit. Bars and cafés turned from places where men would meet to argue or play cards into miniature cinemas where arguments over what show to watch would break out. Women and children were also more accepted inside the bars due to the lack of men post-war and their need to enter working society. Churches also bought televisions are a means of drawing people to spend time as part of those communities.

High-definition feed

The channel launched an

HDTV High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...

1080i 1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the scre ...

simulcast in September 2013, available nationwide on subscription-television providers and on DTT (channel 1). Previously, HD programs used to be aired on

Rai HD Rai HD is a group of television channels owned by Italian state-owned broadcaster RAI broadcasting in high-definition. Rai HD Channels * Rai 1 HD * Rai 2 HD * Rai 3 HD * Rai 4 HD * Rai 5 HD * Rai Movie HD * Rai Premium HD * Rai Gulp HD * Rai ...

Logos

File:Logo Raiuno 1983.svg, 3 October 1983 to 26 September 1988 File:Rai 1 logo.svg, 18 May 2010 to 12 September 2016 File:Rai 1 - Logo 2016.svg, In use since September 2016

Directors of Rai 1

* Giuseppe Matteucci: 1954–1976 * Mimmo Scarano: 1976–1979 * Paolo Valmarana: 1980 * Emmanuele Milano: 1980–1987 * Giuseppe Rossini: 1987–1989 * Carlo Fuscagni: 1989–1993 * Nadio Delai: 1993–1994 * Brando Giordani: 1994–1996 * Giovanni Tantillo: 1996–1998 * Agostino Saccà: 1998–2000, 2001–2002 * Pier Luigi Celli: 2000 * Maurizio Beretta: 2000–2001 * Fabrizio Del Noce: 2002–2009 * Mauro Mazza: 2009–2012 * Giancarlo Leone: 2012–2016 * Andrea Fabiano: 2016–2017 * Angelo Teodoli: 2017–2018 * Teresa De Santis: 2018–2020 * Stefano Coletta: 2020–present

Current programmes

News

*''

'', the main news service, directed by Giuseppe Carboni *'' TV7'', weekly late-night news programme *''

Rai Meteo RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy), Ministry of Eco ...

'', weather bulletin *'' Speciale TG1'', enquiring programme *'' Porta a Porta'', late-night talk show

Events

*'' Festival di Sanremo'' *'' Eurovision Song Contest'' *''

Zecchino d'Oro Zecchino d'Oro (; meaning "Golden Sequin") is an annual international children's song competition established in 1959 by Niny Comolli. It is broadcast by Rai 1. The first two contests were held in Milan. In 1961, the contest was taken up by th ...

'' *'' Festival di Castrocaro'' *'' David di Donatello'' *''

Junior Eurovision Song Contest The Junior Eurovision Song Contest (often shortened to JESC, Junior Eurovision or Junior EuroSong) is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) annually since 2003. It is held in a diff ...

Entertainment

*'' Tale e Quale Show'' *'' La Corrida'' *' *'' L'eredità''

Documentaries and Culture

*'' SuperQuark'', hosted by

Piero Angela Piero Domenico Angela (; 22 December 1928 – 13 August 2022) was an Italian television host, science journalist, writer, and pianist. He started as a radio reporter, then became a foreign correspondent, and established himself as the host of ...

*'' Quark Atlante'', ''SuperQuark'' Saturday afternoon spin-off, focusing on wilderness and adventure *'' Lineablu'', focusing on the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

and shores, hosted by Donatella Bianchi *'' Linea Verde'', focusing on wilderness, agriculture and rural cooking, hosted by Patrizio Roversi and Daniela Ferolla *'' Overland World Truck Expedition'', adventure and documentary expeditions *'' Passaggio a Nord-Ovest'', focusing on history and archaeology *'' Cinematografo'', focusing on cinema *'' Rewind – Visioni private'', focusing on TV history *'' Magazzini Einstein'', focusing on arts and culture

TV Series

*''

Il Commissario Montalbano The ''Inspector Montalbano'' ( ) television series are Italian police procedural stories. Based on Andrea Camilleri's detective novels, they are located in the imaginary town of Vigàta, Sicily, which is based on Camilleri's native Porto Empedo ...

'', with

Luca Zingaretti Luca Zingaretti (; born 11 November 1961) is an Italian actor and film director, known for playing Salvo Montalbano in the '' Inspector Montalbano'' mystery series based on the character and novels created by Andrea Camilleri. Zingaretti is a na ...

, produced in HD since Season 9 *'' Il giovane Montalbano'' (prequel of "Il Commissario Montalbano"), with Michele Riondino and Alessio Vassallo, produced in HD *'' Don Matteo'', with

Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...

Nino Frassica Antonino "Nino" Frassica (born 11 December 1950) is an Italian actor, Duke of Gela and television personality. Biography and career Born in Messina, Frassica is mostly known for his deadpan humour, characterized by absurd jokes he described as ...

and

Natalie Guetta Natalie may refer to: People * Natalie (given name) * Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter * Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis Music Albums * ''Natal ...

, produced in HD since Season 7 *'' Un passo dal cielo'', with

, produced in HD *'' Fuoriclasse'', with Luciana Littizzetto, produced in HD *'' Che Dio ci aiuti'', with

Elena Sofia Ricci Elena Sofia Barucchieri (born 29 March 1962), known by the stage name Elena Sofia Ricci (), is an Italian actress. She is known, among other things, for playing Sister Angela in the Italian television series . Biography Born in Florence, afte ...

, produced in HD *'' Der letzte Bulle'', with

Henning Baum Henning Baum (born 20 September 1972) is a German film and TV actor. He is best known for his performance as Michael 'Mick' Brisgau in the TV Series ''Der letzte Bulle'' (''The Last Cop''). Selected filmography *''Mädchen, Mädchen'' (2001), ...

and , produced in HD *''

Provaci ancora prof ''Provaci ancora prof!'' (English: ''Try again teacher!'') is an Italian television series. Plot The show follows the story of Camilla Baudino, a high school teacher that often finds herself involved in some crimes. Camilla, an amateur detective, ...

'', with

Veronica Pivetti Veronica Pivetti (born 19 February 1965) is an Italian actress and voice actress. Life and career Born in Milan, Pivetti is the daughter of Grazia Gabrielli, a voice actress and of Paolo Pivetti, a stage director. She is the younger sister of ...

and Enzo Decaro, produced in HD since Season 5 *'' Questo nostro amore'', historical drama with

Anna Valle Anna Valle (born 19 June 1975) is an Italian actress and beauty pageant titleholder. Life and career Born in Rome, Anna Valle lived in Ladispoli up to thirteen years; after the separation of her parents she moved to Sicily, in Lentini, the ci ...

and Neri Marcorè, produced in HD *'' Um Himmels Willen'', with Fritz Wepper, produced in HD since Season 8 *''

Un medico in famiglia ''Un medico in famiglia'' (English: ''A doctor in the family'') is an Italian television series, based on the format of the Spanish series of Telecinco ''Médico de familia'', produced by Publispei and Rai Fiction. The series aired for ten seaso ...

'', with Lino Banfi, Giulio Scarpati and Margot Sikabonyi, produced in HD since Season 6 *'' Una pallottola nel cuore'', with

Gigi Proietti Luigi "Gigi" Proietti (2 November 1940 – 2 November 2020) was an Italian actor, voice actor, comedian, musician, singer and television presenter. Early life He was born in Rome to Romano Proietti, originally from Umbria, and Giovanna Ceci, a ...

, produced in HD

Sports

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

Finals (if Italy team involved only, 1954–

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

) *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

(5 matches: three Italy group matches, one semi-final, and one final) *

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...

(Italy matches only, plus a final) *

Italy national football team The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...

: Nations League, qualifiers, friendlies, and finals tournament

Kids

* 44 Cats * Jurassic Cubs * Prezzemolo * Tommy e Oscar * Topo Gigio * Piccolo Pollone * Chappy

Early programmes

Until the autumn 1976/77 season, regular broadcasting was in

monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...

(black and white), with very few exceptions (shown in bold). Regular color broadcasting began during the winter 1976/77 season. *''Un due tre...'' aka ''1, 2, 3'', satire/variety show starring

Raimondo Vianello Raimondo Vianello (7 May 1922 – 15 April 2010) was an Italian film actor, comedian, and television host. He was a well-known Italian television personality. Biography He was born in Rome, but spent his youth in Pula, where his father, an ...

Ugo Tognazzi Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...

. Considered one of the most influential shows in Italian television history, it was discontinued in 1959 after the duo performed an ironic sketch about then-president of the Republic, Giovanni Gronchi (six seasons, from 19 January 1954 to 2 August 1959). *''Lascia o raddoppia'', a one-hour-long game show hosted by Mike Bongiorno (1955–59, on Thursday, at 9:00 PM, except for the first season shown on Saturday night). *'' Primo applauso'', early talent show hosted by Enzo Tortora and

Silvana Pampanini Silvana Pampanini (25 September 1925 – 6 January 2016) was an Italian film actress, director and singer. She was also the niece of the well-known soprano of the golden era of opera, Dame Rosetta Pampanini. Silvana Pampanini caused a sensation ...

. The clap-o-metre was introduced to Italian television during this programme. Magician Silvan and singer Adriano Celentano debuted in ''Primo Applauso'' (from 29 April 1956 until December of the same year, Sunday night, 9:00 PM). *''Telematch'', variety/game show hosted by Enzo Tortora and Silvio Noto (from 6 January 1957 to July 1958, Sunday night at 9:15 PM). *''La macchina per vivere'', health care/educational programme about the human body (two seasons, from 31 January 1957, Thursday night at 10:45 PM). *'' Il Musichiere'', one-hour-long Italian version of ''

Name That Tune ''Name That Tune'' is an American television music game show. Originally created and produced by orchestra conductor Harry Salter and his wife Roberta Semple Salter, the series features contestants competing to correctly identify songs being p ...

'', hosted by Mario Riva until his death (1957–60, on Saturday nights at 9:00 PM). *''Campanile Sera'', one-hour-long game show, hosted by Enzo Tortora, Mike Bongiorno and Enza Sampò (1959–61, on Thursday at 9:00 PM). One of the various games on the show, "il gioco dei prezzi", was an early Italian incarnation of ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...

'' franchise. *''Studio Uno'', Saturday night variety show, hosted mainly by Mina (1961–66, 9:00 PM). *''L'amico del giaguaro'', Saturday night comedy/variety show, hosted by Corrado and starring Gino Bramieri, Marisa Del Frate and Raffaele Pisu. Broadcast during 1961, 1962 and 1964 summer seasons, at 9:00 PM. *''Giocagiò'', daytime half-hour-long Italian version of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Luigi Comencini Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007)
''The Guardian'' was an Italian

and starring Nino Manfredi (Geppetto),

Gina Lollobrigida Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (born 4 July 1927) is an Italian actress, photojournalist, and politician. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. As o ...

(

the Fairy with Turquoise Hair The Fairy with Turquoise Hair ( it, La Fata dai Capelli Turchini; often simply referred to as The Blue Fairy, ''La Fata Turchina'') is a fictional character in the 1883 Italian book ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi, repeatedly appe ...

), Franco Franchi (the Cat), Ciccio Ingrassia (the Fox),

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

(the Judge) and child actor

Andrea Balestri Andrea Balestri (born 1 September 1963) is an Italian actor and singer. Career He is known as the Pinocchio in 1972 serial tv ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'', directed by Luigi Comencini, next to actors like Nino Manfredi, Franco and Ciccio, G ...

in the main role of Pinocchio. This very successful French-German-Italian coproduction aired for the first time in Italy on Saturday night from 8 April 1972, at 9:00 PM. The French version is about 40 minutes longer and is divided into 6 episodes. In colour. *''Fatti e fattacci'', variety show, hosted by

and Ornella Vanoni, direct by Antonello Falqui (four episodes, from 15 February 1975, Saturday night at 8:40 PM). In colour. *''Dov'è Anna'', drama/'' giallo'' miniseries in seven episodes, starring

Scilla Gabel Scilla Gabel (born Gianfranca Gabellini; 4 January 1938) is an Italian film, television and stage actress. She appeared in 50 films between 1954 and 1982. Career Born in Rimini, Italy, one of five children, Gabel entered the cinema industry as ...

and Mariano Rigillo, broadcast on Tuesday, from 13 January 1976, at 8:45 PM. *''Albert e l'Uomo Nero'' (the title, roughly translated, means ''Albert and the Bogeyman''), drama/''giallo'' miniseries in three episodes, starring

Nando Gazzolo Ferdinando "Nando" Gazzolo (16 October 1928 – 16 November 2015) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Savona, the son of the actor and voice actor Lauro Gazzolo and EIAR radio announcer Aida Ottaviani Piccolo, Gazzolo debuted ...

, Franco Graziosi and then kid Claudio Cinquepalmi in the title role of Albert. Avant-garde soundtrack by Franco Micalizzi. It was perhaps the last successful Italian black and white drama series, aired on 21 March (Sunday), 23 March (Tuesday) and 28 March (Sunday) nights at 8:45 PM.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13fa7j13124 A scene from the first episode *''Bontà loro'', one-hour-long late night talk show hosted by Maurizio Costanzo, is considered by some critics to be the first modern talk show in Italian television (two seasons, from 18 October 1976, Monday night, 10:45 PM). In colour from 1977. *''Non Stop'', one-hour-long comedy consisting of a collage of sketches performed by young and (then) unknown comedians – among these future theatrical actor and director

Carlo Verdone Carlo Gregorio Verdone (born 17 November 1950) is an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. Verdone is best known for his comedic roles in Italian classics, which he also wrote and directed. His career was jumpstarted by his first thre ...

and actors Massimo Troisi and

Lello Arena Raffaele "Lello" Arena (born 1 November 1953) is an Italian actor and comics writer. He was also an occasional film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Naples as Raffaele Arena, he was the son of two workers in a tobacco fact ...

. Broadcast for two seasons (1977-8 and 1978-9), on Thursday night, at 8:40 PM.

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Italian-language television stations Television channels and stations established in 1954 1954 establishments in Italy 1