La7

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La7
Launched	1974 as TMC 2001 as La7
Owned by	Telecom Italia Media S.p.A.
Audience share	2,12% (Prime time of October 2006, [1])
Country	Italy
Website	www.la7.it
Availability
Terrestrial
Analogue	PAL, in Italy. Normally tuned on channel 7
Digital	DVB-T (on Dfree Mux), in Italy
Satellite
Analogue	Yes
Digital	Yes
SKY Italia	Channel 107
Cable
Cablecom	Channel 97

This article is about the Italian television channel. For the World War II Soviet aircraft, see La-7.

La7 is an Italian private television channel (usually referred to as "the Seventh Channel") and considered as the third major network in Italy. It is currently owned by Telecom Italia Media, the media branch of the telephone company Telecom Italia, which also owns 51% of MTV Italia. Usually its programs are more cultural-oriented, although it also airs some sport games. Recently it started broadcasting using the Digital Terrestrial Television format, offering some pay-tv services (especially soccer games, movies and concerts).

[edit] History

Founded in 1974 with the name of Telemontecarlo or TMC, the TV station had initially the only goal to be the Italian language channel of the Principality of Monaco, but rapidly becoming the one and only challenger of RAI public channels. Indro Montanelli, historical Italian journalist, worked for the TV since its foundation, with an informative programme named Il Giornale. In the 1980s, TMC became a minoritary channel, after the rise of the Berlusconi-owned channels, particularly Canale 5. In 1990 the station was acquired by the Brazilians of Globo, but in 1995 it passed into the hands of Vittorio Cecchi Gori, who was aiming to create the third pole of television, in a TV market characterized in that period by two strong TV network blocks, RAI and Mediaset, each comprising three channels. In 1999 the TV moved from its historical headquarters in Monte Carlo to a new one in Rome.

Old logo of La7, when still named TMC (Telemontecarlo)

In 2001, Lorenzo Pellicioli and Roberto Colaninno, of Telecom Italia announced they had acquired the TV station, in order to create a strong competitor against the six other national channels in Italy. However, against all the ambitions shown initially by the owner and the initial premises, like the hiring of popular TV hosts, anchors and journalists like Fabio Fazio, Gad Lerner and Giuliano Ferrara, nowadays La7 still has ratings and shares much lower than its major competitors: the three RAI public channels, and the three Mediaset private ones. One of the reasons, according to La7 sources, is that in a media landscape dominated by the absolute political control of the media, and by the unique monopoly on commercial television by prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, a politically independent channel would only be allowed to survive on the condition it could not grow above a certain level. In other words, a fig leaf to pretend there is a plurality of voices in what is an otherwise profoundly undemocratic television landscape.

[edit] Programs

[edit] Shows

• Markette
• I Fantastici 5 (Italian version of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy)
• Le Invasioni Barbariche^[1]
• Cambio Moglie (Wife Swap)
• SOS Tata

[edit] Cultural programs

• Omnibus
• Sfera
• Stargate - Linea di Confine

[edit] TV Series and Miniseries

• Charmed
• Dirt
• Sex and the City
• Star Trek: Enterprise
• Star Trek: Voyager
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• Stargate SG-1
• The L Word
• Crossing Jordan
• Angels in America
• The Pretender
• Hustle
• Sledge Hammer
• The Practice
• Cadfael
• Law and Order SVU
• JAG ^[2]

[edit] News

• TG La7
• L'infedele
• Otto e mezzo
• Omnibus
• CNN International
• Effetto Reale

[edit] Sports events

• 2007 America's Cup
• Rugby Union Six Nations Championship
• Superbike World Championship
• Rugby World Cup 2007

[edit] References

1. ^ Le invasioni barbariche di Daria Bignardi - Il programma di approfondimento su LA7.it
2. ^ J.A.G - Avvocati In Divisa (Italian)

[edit] External links

• Official Site (Italian)
• La7 Channel on YouTube
• History of TMC (1974-2001) (Italian)
• Birth of La7 (2001) (Italian)