"You can disconnect whenever you want." Millions of viewers are watching the episode of "Chi l'ha visto?" dedicated to the case of Sarah Scazzi, the fifteen-year-old girl who disappeared in Avetrana, with an interview with her mother, Concetta Serrano: suddenly the agencies are reporting, then the confirmations. Within minutes, Federica Sciarelli, along with her horrified family and Italy, discovers that Sarah is dead. It's just one of the iconic moments that will remain etched in the history of the Roman journalist, who after 22 years leaves the helm of the historic Rai3 program.

The contract

There's still no official schedule for the fall of 2026, but the air of relocation is already wafting through the halls of Italian television. It's been known for some time that Sciarelli's contract, which expires in July, hadn't yet been renewed. But yesterday, a company statement made a final point: "We are discussing the journalist's professional future together" and "who could take up her legacy": Eleonora Daniele, Massimo Giletti, Francesca Fialdini, or Francesca Fagnani, the queen of "Belve."

Towards Cologno Monzese

Goodbye, or perhaps, see you soon, to Milo Infante too. He himself left the final clue in front of the cameras of Rai 2. Saying goodbye to the audience of the talk shows "Ore 14" and "Ore 14 sera," the journalist had quoted Stephen King: "There are other worlds outside of this one." Two weeks ago, after more than 20 years, he too left the Viale Mazzini caravan to join Mediaset. "For me, it's a point of arrival," he declared, leaving behind-the-scenes commentators to discuss increasingly strained relations with Rai executives and his ignored request for a more senior management role, despite excellent ratings of around 10 percent for the second channel.

The great excluded

Two major departures offset by a resounding comeback? Perhaps, but it won't be Amadeus's. In 2024, he walked away triumphant, having relaunched "Affari Tuoi" and scored a record-breaking five Sanremo Festivals. Today, however, his second marriage to Nove seems to have reached the end credits. Together with Warner Bros. Discovery, Ama is reportedly working on a mutually agreeable separation (well) ahead of the expiration of the four-year contract signed in 2024: the plan didn't work out. Rai is watching through its peephole and in the meantime has changed the lock on the door: the old fiefdoms, "Affari Tuoi" and the Festival, are now in the hands of Stefano De Martino. And even Cologno Monzese doesn't seem to have any space available for the former king of the small screen.

The early retirees

The three big departures from the 2023 season, however, show no desire to return. First and foremost, Bianca Berlinguer: on July 3, the journalist, daughter of the longtime PCI secretary, announced her resignation after 34 years, claiming a career path "always pursued in complete autonomy." A few weeks later, she relaunched Rete4 with "È sempre Cartabianca," a move spearheaded by Pier Silvio Berlusconi. In May, it was Fabio Fazio's turn, moving to Discovery after 30 years in a sensational deal that brought not only him, but the entire "Che tempo che fa" crew and his longtime partner Luciana Littizzetto to Nove. Finally, Lucia Annunziata, now a member of the European Parliament: after nearly 30 years of collaboration and 18 at the helm of "In mezz'ora" and "Mezz'ora in più," she wrote a critique of the top news appointments and explained that she disagreed "with nothing of the current government's actions, neither in content nor in methods." The boundaries between Rai, Mediaset, La7, and Discovery are increasingly blurred, with competition increasingly fierce, not to mention the parallel world of streaming. But Rai is responding to this flurry of host-hosting with the recipe it knows best: continuity. Rumors about upcoming programming suggest few new features and many repeat performances. Hopefully, if the hosts change sides, viewers won't follow suit.

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