Rai's alleged 'black list'

According to weekly Gente - and repeated at Dagospia [not work safe], Alexis [not work safe], and now the Corriere della Sera - the Administrative Council of Rai has voted unanimously on a list of 28 names who are not to appear on Rai in future. Most of the twenty-eight are involved in the Savoia prostitution scandal. Rai has denied that any list has been agreed. The fullest list comes from Alexis, and features:

1. Elisabetta Gregoraci, hostess on Il Malloppo, who allegedly slept with Gianfranco Fini spokesperson Salvatore Sottile in exchange for help with her career in Rai
   
2. Corrado Tedeschi, presenter, Cominciamo bene l'estate, on RaiTre
   
3. Cristiano Malgioglio, C-list celeb on L'isola dei famosi
   
4. Maria Monse, writer
   
5. Paoletta Saluzzi
6. Gigi Marzullo, sports journalist, Quello che e il calcio
   
7. Maria Mazza, ex-wife of footballer Francesco Totti
   
8. Caterina Balivo, daughter in law of former Communications minister Antonio Maccanico
   
9. Angelica Russo
10. Stefania Orlando
11. Cannelle
12. Antonio Zequila
13. Adriano Pappalardo, singer
    
14. Carmen di Pietro, from l'Isola dei famosi
    
15. Antonella Elia
16. Sonia Grey, host, Sabato, domenica e...

Some of these individuals - Mazzo, Balivo, Russo, Orlando, Cannelle - had talked to the prest about l'affaire Savoyard; others - Gregoraci, for example - were directly involved. Insofar as any clear picture can be drawn, it is this:

• certain female presenters believe it to be the case that they must sleep with politically well-connected men to advance their career in Rai; this may or may not in fact be the case;
• damage to Rai's image is taken seriously by the current board and dealt with in a formal fashion;
  
• such board decisions are not declared openly
  
• perhaps because of this lack of openness and suspicion of behind-the-scenes manouevring, decisions about which minor celebrities are to appear on television become items of news for national newspapers.
• The perception that Rai does not hire and fire based on evaluative grounds, but instead 'purges' its staff of undesirables, is bolstered
  

Technorati Tags: rai, epurazioni, gregoraci, savoia