What is happening at San Marino RTV, and what future lies ahead for the state broadcaster? Repubblica Futura has brought the issue into the political arena, calling on the government to provide clarity — starting with reports in the Italian press about the future of current director general Giampaolo Rossi — and broadening the discussion to include frequencies, relations with Rai, investment, staffing and the company’s industrial plan.
The first issue concerns the broadcaster’s leadership itself. RF cites reports in the Italian press suggesting that Rossi, upon leaving his post in Rome, might retain the interim general directorship of San Marino RTV. According to the party, this is a situation that demands an immediate response from the institutions.
“Can someone remain director of RTV to the detriment of Rai? Could a Rai pensioner continue to hold a senior position such as that at RTV?” Repubblica Futura asks, stressing that it does not intend to make this a personal matter. The party acknowledges that the director has achieved “certain results, such as increased funding from Rai and some structural investments.”
The real issue, for RF, is understanding what project currently lies behind San Marino RTV. “We are not entering into the merits of Italian political affairs or Rai’s internal matters — we are simply expressing concern about what is happening on Via Kennedy,” the statement reads.
The party fears in particular that issues tied to individual appointments could affect the broadcaster’s image and its relationship with its Italian partner. Hence another question: are the strategic partnerships launched by RTV shared with Rai? “Has the partnership with a private Italian media company been reviewed and approved by Rai? Can San Marino RTV independently choose these strategic collaborations without involving its long-standing partner?”
RF acknowledges that the decision to entrust RTV’s direction to Rai’s director general had represented “a concrete sign of interest from Rai, as a shareholder, toward San Marinese television.” At the same time, however, the party argues that things have since drifted into “logics far removed from a national San Marinese radio and television project, which seems to have been lost along the way.”
The use of public resources also comes under scrutiny. Repubblica Futura asks whether the millions allocated each year to the company — including the licence fee from Italy, technological investment, premises and other contributions — form part of a project capable of generating employment and professional training opportunities for young San Marinese people.
“Television — as we have always said — makes an important contribution to the Republic’s statehood, and it is something we should certainly invest in. But does what we are currently doing help reaffirm San Marino’s statehood?” RF asks.
There is then the matter of frequencies, considered particularly sensitive. “2026 is the final year of the agreement’s economic validity: €4,718,000 make a real difference to the company’s budget. What will happen on this front?”
For Repubblica Futura, then, the future of RTV remains contingent on a number of unresolved questions — from the general directorship to the continuity of investment, as well as frequencies, partnerships, staffing and the industrial plan.
“San Marino RTV has significant opportunities ahead, but also serious uncertainty,” RF concludes, calling on the government to explain to the San Marinese people which path it intends to take, and expressing hope that the broadcaster will not once again find itself at the centre of controversy in the Italian press over matters “that, moreover, have nothing to do with the professionalism of its staff.”
