Paolo Gentiloni today announces that Rai gets €33 million more to aid the switch-over to digital.

The headline figure cited by Gentiloni – “uno stanziamento per il triennio 2007-2009 per complessivi 300 milioni per la promozione digitale” [a subvention of 300 million for digital over the three-year period 2007-2009] – sounds good; although not all of that goes to Rai, it’s more than the £200m given to the BBC to help them switch over to digital in a much more geographically dispersed country.

What isn’t good is the way these extra sources of funding are announced. Drip-feeding PSBs extra discretionary funds prevents them from using the money to plan strategically, and makes them more subject to subtle or not-so-subtle government pressure.

This comes after an interview in the Corriere a couple of days ago, where Gentiloni gave his interpretation of the Gasparri law, according to which the Treasury nominates a member of Rai’s administrative council:

Dal mio punto di vista, avrei considerato normale che nel momento in cui cambia il titolare del Tesoro, il rappresentante nel Consiglio avesse rimesso il mandato nelle mani del nuovo ministro: probabilmente Padoa-Schioppa lo avrebbe confermato

From my point of view, I would have considered it normal if the representative in the Council had returned his commission to the Treasury; Padoa-Schioppa would probably have confirmed him in his post

This would be completely the wrong precedent to set for any new system of nominations. The new law on Rai should make clear that a change in the nominating body is not grounds for recalling its nominees.