We were all aware that he would no longer return to lead and that, probably, we wouldn’t even have more reviewed on video. But knowing that Pippo was still among us reassured us, like a caress given to our soul. Because we, after all, was interested in that. Knowing that it was somewhere and that, perhaps, sooner or later, he could have surprised us with a surprise.

Giuseppe Raimondo Vittorio Baudo was the immortal, the last survivor of a certain television and the first to be involved when a celebrity was missing: Bongiorno, Mondaini, Vianello, Corrado, Frizzi, Faletti, Sabani, Mango, Giuni Russo, Carrà, Costanzo. His memory was necessary, dutiful.

Here then the news of his death displaces us, he intons us, in addition to grieving us. We lost our compass, our point of reference, the last pillar that still kept on a era now definitively disappeared.

Baudo has covered sixty years of history of the country, accompanying various generations who have a different image of him every time. There is the Pippo of “Settevoci”, that of the first 1968 festival in black and white, that of the Sanremo 1980s, that of the ninety and two thousand and the last with now white hair and wise tones, which lived more than tales and anecdotes than future projects.

If Mike the TV created it, Baudo da Militello in Val di Catania characterized it, gave her an imprint and an identity, marking the track. His “fantastic”, his Sundays, his Sanremo are remembered. Programs that has not only led, but that has marked on fire with its unique style.

Late TV

Yet the TV had discovered it late. Not by his decision, we would miss it: “In 1956 a large repeater was installed on Mount Fàito in Campania which allowed the signal to arrive in Sicily”. He compensated with the radio, thanks to which he learned to speak well: “If I have an almost perfect Italian pronunciation I owe it to the radio. Once the announcers were not like those of now, they enjoyed an excellent diction. So when I arrived in Rome I was already ready. I had listened to everything, from the music programs to the radiogyernal”.

The absolute debut on the small screen took place in 1959, with the “emigrant guide”, an experience that he himself called training: “having graduated in law, I had studied colonial law, an supplementary matter of the jurisprudence course. They led me to visit the emigrants around Europe. In Belgium I met the father of the singer Adam, he was a miner”.

He found himself several times on Corrado’s road and inevitably exploded dualism. He collected the relay to “Canzonissima”, to “Domenica In”, even to the “Telegatti”. “Even, when Corrado went to the TV to go for a friend of the jaguar, I replaced him on the radio with Gran Gala,” he confessed amused.

However, Baudo will reward “Corrado” for the last time, with a Telegatto, in 1998, giving simultaneously a standing ovation to Mike, Vianello and Mondaini. Applause that, with today’s gaze, would involve him in all respects too.

The (very short) experiences in Mediaset

Baudo played the Rai antennone. Exemplary symbol of state TV, he never found himself elsewhere. A Mediaset (or Fininvest) ended twice in a decade and in both cases the result was that of a fish out of water that desperately tried to find his habitat.

He sold to Berlusconi’s court the first time in 1987, after the president of Rai Enrico Manca had labeled him “national-population” at the end of “Fantastic 7”. “It will mean that I will dedicate myself to regional-scopopolar programs,” he replied that however in the commercial reality he found only obstacles, scattered by those who did not intend to recognize the position of artistic director who had been conferred on him.

Pippo was the man of professional resurrections and showed him for the first time on that occasion. Finishing the Fininvest struggling, he left from “evening of honor”, on Rai 2. He returned to the crime scene in 1997 and, then, at Mediaset he only collected flops, such as “The song of the century” and “Tiramisu”.

“Why did I fall back on it? In Rai I had problems with riambientation – he explained – Berlusconi telephoned me and made me the proposal: ‘Do you want to come back?’

The return to Rai

Once again, the phone stopped ringing and in order to embrace Viale Mazzini accepted the offer of “day after day”, a daily broadcast of Rai 3 broadcast at 4 in the afternoon. “It was proposed to me so that I refused it, instead I accepted immediately. The cachet was non -existent. The transmission was of American import, it lasted half an hour but as soon as they freed the spaces, I widen. He had so much followed that the then director Francesco Pinto proposed to invent a new early evening show and was born twentieth centuries. He obtained a huge success.”

The last crisis with Rai manifested himself in 2005. SCRIZI with the managers caused a loose frost thanks to an intervention by Fiorello who, during an episode of “Ballando with the stars”, made a kiss between Pippo and Fabrizio Del Noce.

Peace favored the return to Baudo of “Domenica In”, in the season in which Rai had greeted “ninetieth minute” and Canale 5 purchased to the sound of millions the rights for the transmission of goals at 6 pm.

The mission was clear: to pick up holes and contain the damage. On the contrary, a triumphant edition came out which on November 13, 2005, with the hosts of Roberto Benigni and Claudio Baglioni, touched 8 million and 40% share.

Central and leader born, at the same time he loved scouting. “I invented it,”, I never really pronounced motto and rent him by Gigi Sabani, he represented him perfectly. From Lorella Cuccarini to Heather Parisi, from Giorgia to Laura Pausini and Eros Ramazzotti, passing through Andrea Bocelli and Giorgio Faletti (who thanks to him was able to present that masterpiece of ‘Signor Lieutenant’ to the Festival), everyone owes something to him. Indeed, more than something.

Unlike Bongiorno, succubus of times, regulations and with a poor propensity for the chorus, Baudo was generous. He launched the ball, was looking for the assist, placed himself at the service of the guest in favor of the surrender and the show. Just think of Benigni (with whom he exchanged his “fantastic” trousers and from which he had the package in Sanremo squeezed), or Fiorello and Luciana Littizzetto, with the latter who in 2003 kissed him on the Ariston stage.

Group, aggregation, team. Stopping points of baudism applied in the “Luna Park” pre -evening. Fabrizio Frizzi at the helm on Mondays, Milly Carlucci on Tuesday, Mara Venier on Wednesday, Rosanna Lambertucci on Thursday, Paolo Bonolis on Friday and he on Saturday, as if to put the signature. “I chose them, we were a group of friends, we had fun. Being the author I was there every day, even when I did not lead.”

Sanremo love

Many titles to the assets, a single great love: the aforementioned Sanremo. With the Festival he married thirteen times and churned out the ideal mix: sung mass, respect for sacredness and pop colors, scattered here and there. In 1996 he inaugurated the Jingle “Because Sanremo is Sanremo”, a tunnel that did not run out with his leave but who was engraved on stone, entering eternal in our collective imagination.

Modern, even without setting the tradition, Baudo sniffed the moods of the public, perceived their breath, intercepted their moves. Consequently, he understood tastes and weaknesses.

A relationship, the one with the event, made of many ups and downs (in 1995 the final totalized a record average of 17.6 million, with 75.2% of share) and a few bass, see 2003 – with Mediaset who for the first time counterparted by deploying the “Big Brother” and “Zelig” – and 2008, year of the farewell. He went bad and the signals were negative from the eve. A few hours after the debut, in fact, the news of the discovery of the bodies of the brothers of Gravina and the special of “Who has seen it?” Arrived? ” He managed to gnaw 4.4 million spectators and 16.5% share. A crippled start that conditioned the continuation and weighted the climate. He revealed Piero Chiambretti: “Despite the bitterness we continued in our path, aware that once you start badly, it can only end worse. The route cannot invert it. In that situation of difficulty I still found the strength to be able to laugh at our misfortunes, which could not do Baudo”.

Ment confirmed by the will that Pippo left, suffering and resigned, at the press conference: “Let’s take fish in the face, let’s spit in the face. But so we get the audience, we fuck him and we will have an Italy of shit”.

Baudo was everyday life, like the coins and banknotes that we handle and keep in his pocket. And of the euro, in 2002, it was the flawless testimonial. Who better than him, born in 1936. “On the other hand, one euro is equivalent to 1936 lire”, joked Fiorello.

“It is not complicated to achieve success, the difficulty lies in keeping it,” repeated obsessively. Then, translated, it meant updating itself perpetually and keeping your feet firm on the ground.

He succeeded.