A few hours before the Festival kicked off, the writer and activist Flavia Carlini wrote in an Instagram story about the conductors of Sanremo: “They opened the geriatric department. But I am confident that when we young people will be old will finally give us the opportunities we should have. ” In the photo shared by Carlini – 389 thousand followers on Instagram and 285 thousand on Tiktok – you can see Gerry Scotti, Antonella Clerici and Carlo Conti who are respectively 68 years old, 61 years old and 63 years old. All three in the “venerated master” phase of their careers. It is one of the three phases in which according to the writer Alberto Arbasino the life of each and each of us would be articulated: young promise, in fact, usual asshole and venerated master. Carlini’s story was shared by Selvaggia Lucarelli and from there he made the rounds of social networks: almost all the people gave reason to Lucarelli who defended the three conductors. Yet, although the reasoning is not entirely shareable given the proven skill of the three, Flavia Carlini’s comment has its own validity.

It is not a country for young people

According to Istat, the crisis of birth rate in Italy shows no sign of stopping: “With just 379 thousand children who came to the world, 2023 highlights the umpteenth historical minimum of births, the eleventh in a row since 2013. A trial, that of denatality, which since 2008 (577 thousand births) has not known stops “. The report reads that as of January 1, 2024 the resident population has an average age of 46.6 years, growing two decimal points (about three months) compared to January 1, 2023 early 2024 has 14 million 358 thousand individuals, it constitutes 24.3% of the total population, against 24% of the previous year. The number of ultraottanens, the so -called large elderly people, increases forward: with 4 million 554 thousand individuals, almost 50 thousand more than 12 months earlier, this contingent exceeded that of children under 10 years of age (4 million 441 thousand individuals).

Translated: so -called elderly people are increasing at the front of a constant drop in young people. A situation that, with this trend, risks creating a dramatic situation since in the coming years there will be less and less people of work age and more and more elderly people who will need pensions and welfare.

What does all this have to do with Sanremo? The Italian Song Festival is called “the mirror of the country”, but on closer inspection this apparently simplistic definition has a fund of truth since an event that speaks to a large -scale audience, must necessarily satisfy the tastes of everyone, But in particular of the largest population. And at this moment, in Italy, young people are the minority. It must therefore not be surprised that the general public prefers conductors who resemble them, family faces that perhaps accompany them from all life and which memories are linked if not happy, at least carefree.

Deejay generation

Both Carlo Conti and Gerry Scotti were born as Deejay. Scotti and Jovanotti, both matters of the first evening of Sanremo, were among the top faces of Deejay Televisionthe program aired from 1983 to 1990 which also launched Fiorello, Amedeus and Leonardo Pieraccioni. Conceived by Claudio Cecchetto, Deejay Television The channel that in those years attracted an audience of then young people who today has between fifty and sixty years, therefore all and all peers and peers (or almost) of the three conductors of the Festival, was broadcast on Italy 1.

It is therefore not surprising that that generation wants to see known faces, of which he trusts and with which he grew up. Carlo Conti and Gerry Scotti are part of that group born with the radio, raised on television and which has supplanted the various Mike Bongiorno and Pippo Baudo when the time for the more or less forced retreat has come for them. Today is their moment not so much and not only for a shot of seniority, but for proven experience in the field and for the affection that the public reserves them. Both called to the test of the 9 (replace Amadeus), Carlo Conti and above all Gerry Scotti have shown that they deserve the Ariston stage. A completely different way that of Antonella Clerici, who landed in Rai as a sports journalist and became a family face and loved above all by the female public. Unlike many others, Antonella Clerici has never agreed to stay a step back and once again, with her sharp irony, she pointed out that she “does not know of sauce”. Casomai di Pesto.

Where the new levers are

The moment of Alessandro Cattelan, eternal young promise, the only “survivor” of that MTV Generation would finally have come to follow in the footsteps of the generation Deejay Television. Who is beyond Cattelan? Gabriele Corsi, of course, in addition to Stefano De Martino, a very launched conductor and star at TV, theater and on social media. Who will replace the generation of Scotti and Conti? It is certainly not possible to believe that Cattelan alone can bring the weight of the schedule of the Rai channels or that you can entrust the entire schedule to Stefano De Martino. On closer inspection, the grops of talents such as Mattia Stanga, Pierluca Hundreds and the established names of the stand up comedy such as Michela Giraud, the most popular national team of that group but certainly not the only comic talent, just think of Francesco De Carlo, Saverio Raimondo and many others. A forward -looking management would immediately begin to test the effectiveness of these talents on the small screen, a pity that the second evening is almost completely missing – the real gym of the new faces – and that Millenial and Gen Z prefer the platforms and smartphones. Except, in fact, during Sanremo. It would be risky, there is no doubt, but investing in the future is always the best choice. Conti and Amadeus know this well, who have sensed that the intergenerational dialogue on the stage is the right way to win the Auditel challenge.