Television news broadcasts and in-depth information programmes have been among the most valued and typical characteristics of Italian Public Radio-Television (RAI), the Italian Public Broadcasting Service, since its early years. This article focuses on the television identity of programme hosts, the evolution of media language, and analyses the strengths and weaknesses of RAI’s strategy in dealing with in-depth information programmes. This article also offers an informed assessment of the future of the Italian Public Broadcasting Service by discussing both the past and in-depth information programmes. Only an RAI that focuses on cultural and technological upgrading will be able to celebrate its 60th anniversary and to continue as ‘mother’ of the Italians and of all those who appreciate reliable and professional television reporting of current affairs.

This multi-authored article presents new, investigative strands of the research unit GEMMA (GEnder and Media Matters, established in 2010) at the Department of Communication and Social Research of the Sapienza University of Rome. GEMMA's main objective is to explore the multi-layered relationships between gender and media in the peculiar conditions of the contemporary 'media saturated' environment, employing an approach that maps the media's potential for changing cultural representations of gender. Without renouncing the representational approach, the recent iterations of GEMMA research have shifted focus towards addressing new objects and paths of investigation. Ranging across a variety of media and genres, from television and advertising, to public communication campaigns, from web-based social networks to dating platforms, from documentary to fiction, from wellness reality to cooking shows, the latest works that have been conducted during the 2016‐19 years investigate forms of agency displayed by individuals, groups or institutions directly involved and engaged in the production and consumption of media texts relevant to gender. In this article, the authors summarize their research as contributing to the composition of a polyphonic text on gender and media in Italy.

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