A Sensational Turn of Events for Enrico Mentana

Enrico Mentana is leaving Tg La7 on December 23. The journalist himself made the announcement during the ceremony to present the Franco Marchiaro journalism award in Alessandria. “I have some news for you: I’m leaving Tg La7 on December 23. I want to spend Christmas with my family,” he said, thus confirming his departure from hosting the news program on Urbano Cairo’s network.

Mentana, who has been at the helm of Tg La7 since 2010, will bid farewell to the audience a few days before the end of the year, when his contract with the network expires. He accompanied this decision with a joke about his desire to spend the holidays with his loved ones. During the event, the journalist did not answer the moderator’s questions about a possible return to Mediaset.

The gathering in Alessandria also provided an opportunity to reflect on the future of television news and the viewing habits of younger generations: “Television is what remains of what, at the age of 20, we experienced as something extremely innovative,” Mentana observed, highlighting the gradual aging of the news audience. “The average age of news viewers is closer to 70 than to 65. No young people watch the news; the ways they consume news are different.”

The editor-in-chief cited as an example the way younger people stay informed about international conflicts: “A young person is more likely to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Cecilia Sala than from the news.” This led to a broader reflection on the relationship between news and society: “Everyone, like painting, is a child and a sibling of their time. Today, no teenager can become passionate about journalism by watching the news.”