The clash between Claudio Cecchetto And Linus, or the founder of Radio Deejay in 1982 and the station's current artistic director, exploded live. Just as Linus defined in the show “Deejay Calls Italy” co-hosted with Nicola Savino: “not interesting» the documentary about Career by Claudio Cecchetto aired on Rai1 on December 20th – “People from Cecchetto” as it is called – and reviews all the talents he has discovered in the past who have now become well-known faces of the Italian music and television scene. It seems that a friendship never developed between the two former colleagues since 1995, when Cecchetto left Radio Deejay. This time Linus went one step further and called Cecchetto.idiot». His son intervened on behalf of the talent scout, Jody Cecchetto, who, in a video posted on social media, recalled his father's contribution – “he doesn't seem stupid to me at all” – on the origins of Radio Deejay. Cecchetto senior appreciated: “My son is my pride. Who cares about the ratings, for me the documentary about Rai was like winning an Oscar.” On the evening of December 20th, “People from Cecchetto” was seen by 1,828,000 viewers and achieved a market share of 10.2%.
Claudio Cecchetto, how did you react when you listened to Linus' words?
“I wish every parent a child like mine.” Jody's words are not an official defense: when I read what she wrote, I felt proud and proud to be her father. He really believes what he says. And I can imagine that some parents kind of envied me. If my children grew up well because Leonardo is as smart as Jody, then I also say that the greatest merit is Mapi Danna, my wife, their mother.
In 1995 “his” Radio Deejay was taken over by the L'Espresso Group and De Benedetti. And a lot is changing.
“Linus came in 1984. I hired him and I emphasize that. Linus was my employee. In 1995 the L'Espresso group came with Carlo De Benedetti. In fact, they were my antagonists. When they acquired 50% of Radio, they began to change the rules of the game. My mission was twofold: on the one hand, managing the number one radio station in Italy and on the other hand, discovering and promoting talent, but overall it was artistic in nature. The idea of Espresso, or rather my opponents, was to do a lot of advertising and make invoices. Radio Deejay was my radio, founded with my own money. It was clear that I could not stay under these conditions. In this context, as is often the case when ownership changes, Linus decided to stay and became an employee of the L'Espresso Group. He chose to be on the side of the strongest. But I don't want to fuel non-existent dualism. Even today I say that my antagonists were L'Espresso and De Benedetti.
But Linus gave her an unmistakable swipe. It doesn't appear to be the result of a faux pas. Have you asked yourself why?
“Ask him. Not for me. Many of you ask me this question, but it is clear that this question should be asked of him and not of me. Because it must be clear that these attacks came from him. It is not “It is in my nature to attack anyone. I have not attacked anyone as a politician here in Riccione, where I continue to support the line of the proposal and not that of the opposition. If I had not attacked anyone as a politician, let alone as a talent scout or DJ.”
Linus alluded to the fact that the documentary “People from Cecchetto” had a small share. What do you think?
«But who cares about the reviews? For me it was like winning an Oscar, I was in prime time on Rai 1. When I started at Rai, there was the approval rating and not the auditel. For me, the approval rate is still the most valid measure. And that of the documentary was very high. And I emphasize, it wasn't a documentary about me: there was 833, Jovanotti, Amadeus and Fiorello and then Gerry Scotti. Also Fabio Volo and Leonardo Pieraccioni, to name just a few. And then Carlo Conti, friend and colleague, also a talent scout, and many others. All people for whom one fact counts: When I brought them into existence, I was convinced that they would go their own way. And I mean they would have done it over the years and decades up until now. It doesn't surprise me that these great friends continue to achieve success year after year. And then let's not forget the deejay gang.
So it was also a documentary about the origins of Radio Deejay?
«The Deejay's Gang, which I founded on the radio, was an ideas laboratory. Gerry Scotti, Jovanotti and Fiorello exchanged views, opinions and visions at the beginning of their careers. The documentary was very much about this group of people who, as I said, have come a long way and are still very important today. That's why I tell Linus that he belittled all these great people. And there’s another reason why I say I don’t care about Auditel.”
Meaning what?
“Do you know what compliment I liked the most that I received in the last few days?”
Please.
“I won't tell me the name of the person who made it, but I will share the exact words. “Claudio, the best thing about the documentary is: she didn’t look like Rai.”
Still, he said airing it on Rai around Christmas was like winning an Oscar.
“Of course. In fact, I say that Rai is finally using new languages to speak and convince the public to choose his channels. And I like the idea that they have chosen this documentary to start this new course . The editing of the documentary is wonderful, it goes at a fast pace with interludes and few digressions. In short, it is lively and not boring. Let's say it is not the usual show that we are used to, but the one, which is made for those who sleep in front of the television.”
So he doesn't react to Linus' attack?
“I left the Riccione city council as soon as I left. When I now think of Visit Romagna (the Romagna tourism promotion company for which he is artistic director of major events, editor's note), I enjoy the success of New Year's Eve on the Riviera under the banner of “my” seven moon week: parties, concerts , DJ sets in a format that I helped design together with the administration.”
Is it a no?
“Like the Pink Night in Rimini, New Year's Eve will become a fixed event. Holidays and parties are like ice cream, you think you can only eat them in summer, but no. Remember that once an ice cream manufacturer came to me with the task: to sell a lot of ice cream even in winter, in the cold. Here we want to create events on the Riviera not only for the summer, but also for the cold season. Is that a sufficient answer to the question?”
January 4, 2024
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