(ANSA) - Milan, March 26 - The new owner of Italy's seventh
terrestrial channel, La7, on Tuesday said his aim was to "reduce
costs without impacting on personnel or successful programmes".
Media and advertising entrepreneur and Torino soccer club
boss Urbano Cairo said the cuts would concern "unproductive
costs" and that he intended "to retain all La7 employees and if
anything, giving them more to do".
The head of Cairo Communications had a special mention for
veteran TV journalist Michele Santoro and his left-leaning
political talk show Servizio Pubblico, which he described as
"exceptional".
Cairo bought La7 from Telecom Italia's media unit Ti Media earlier this month for one million euros. The channel, which has boosted its share in recent years after attracting top journalists from ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's private Mediaset network and state broadcaster RAI, is considered one of the last independent broadcasters with a national reach. During the sale Cairo said he shared the channel's editorial line and that its "freedom of expression must be defended".
Cairo bought La7 from Telecom Italia's media unit Ti Media earlier this month for one million euros. The channel, which has boosted its share in recent years after attracting top journalists from ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's private Mediaset network and state broadcaster RAI, is considered one of the last independent broadcasters with a national reach. During the sale Cairo said he shared the channel's editorial line and that its "freedom of expression must be defended".
