Renew Radio Radicale convention says media watchdog

(ANSA) - Rome, April 23 - The government should renew Radio Radicale's convention to cover parliamentary debates, media watchdog AGCOM said Tuesday.
    The government recently said it would not be renewing the convention, sparking protests from the opposition.
    AGCOM said in light of the government's announcement, the government should set up procedures to task a broadcaster to cover parliamentary debates.
    Failing that, and pending a "comprehensive" reform of the coverage, it said Radio Radicale's convention should be extended.
    Last week Premier Giuseppe Conte said that the possible removal of Radio Radicale's public funding for its coverage of parliamentary debates and other political stories was not imminent.
    "A three-year plan was done for Radio Radicale and that is valid as a transitional regime," Conte said, adding that a final decision will be made at the end of a consultation process for a reform of Italian media.
    The historic Radical Party broadcaster, however, said that the three-year plan Conte referred to does not apply to it and said the 2019 budget law had ended its convention for parliamentary work from May and had removed all its public funding as of January 1, 2020.
    RAI CEO Fabrizio Salini said that the State broadcaster may intervene.
    "There have been meetings with Radio Radicale and we are aware of the value of the Radio Radicale archive," Salini told the public broadcaster's parliamentary oversight body.
    "There hasn't been a positive outcome so far, but we suggested another meeting and there could be concrete proposals from us".