ROMA – The medium waves of the radio – those that Ivano Fossati sings about it My band plays rock – they no longer exist, at least for Rai. From 11 September 2022, Viale Mazzini closes the last 12 lifts (see table below) that relaunched this type of signal (in AM).
This concludes a process of gradual disengagement of Rai from medium waves, which began as early as 1999. Twenty-three years ago, state television communicated to the Ministry of Economic Development that it would downsize these plants little by little. Which he has done several times in recent years, for example in 2000 and 2004.
Rai’s medium wave systems they were very polluting. Settled decades ago in open countryside areas, little by little they found themselves surrounded by houses. Situation that caused a danger for the residents. The electromagnetic fields were now out of the accepted standards.
The kilowatts used on these antennas were many (100 were reached only in Pisa Coltano and 50 in Turin Volpiano, for example). And the electrical control units that powered the antennas, which were not very efficient. Closing the plants and the control units will determine savings of hundreds of thousands of euros every year. To pay the electricity bill was Rai Way, the Rai company that owns the antennas.
On the editorial and content level, Rai limited itself to broadcasting Radio 1 programs also in Am (medium waves), but only until midnight. By midnight, broadcasts were now forbidden.
Protests started from Slovenian communities because the medium waves of Rai received programs in Slovenian (every day from 6:00 to 20:45, on Sundays and holidays from 8:00 to 19:35).
If Rai comes out of medium waves, many private publishers participate in the tenders of the Guarantor for Communicationswhich provide frequencies in this radio spectrum.
The government accelerates on private radios in Am: the 148 frequencies will be free
Aldo Fontanarosa
