Berlusconi's political movement, Forzismo, might be vaguely dangerous for democracy, but for television it's simply disastrous
To familiarise yourself with the terrain of Italian TV, there is one key word to learn: Canzonissima. It means, simply, "very song". It was, for decades, the most important programme on Italian television, and has now been replaced by dozens of derivatives. Singing, it's very obvious, is the foundation stone of Italian television. The listings magazines even publish the lyrics to the old hits so that you can sing along at home. It makes TV appear like one long karaoke show, with comperes clicking their fingers as the band springs to life. By far the most followed event on TV is the San Remo festival in February, which serves up a week of syrupy songs.
