Enrico Mentana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Enrico Mentana
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Mentana in 2016
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| Born | 15 January 1955 Milan, Italy
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| Spouse(s) | Michela Rocco di Torrepadula (2002–2013) |
| Children | 4 |
Enrico Mentana (born on January 15, 1955) is a famous Italian journalist and TV presenter. He is known for starting the Italian news program TG5. He led this program from 1992 to 2004. Later, he created and hosted the talk show Matrix. Since 2010, he has been the director of the news program TG La7. He also started an online newspaper called Open in 2018.
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Early Life and Education
Enrico Mentana was born in Milan, Italy, in 1955. His father, Franco Mentana, was a well-known reporter for a sports newspaper. Enrico's mother, Lella, had Jewish family roots. He was baptized Catholic and always felt a strong connection to the Jewish community. His younger brother, Vittorio, worked for the AC Milan football club.
Enrico grew up in Milan. He went to the Alessandro Manzoni high school. In 1968, he joined a small group interested in social ideas. Later, he became part of the Italian Socialist Party, a political group.
He worked for and later became the director of a magazine called Giovane Sinistra. This magazine was for a youth political group. He also studied political science at the University of Milan. However, he did not finish his degree.
Enrico always wanted to be a journalist, inspired by his father. When he was 18, in 1973, he started working as a proofreader for La Gazzetta dello Sport. He became a professional journalist in 1982.
A Career in Journalism
Starting at RAI
In 1980, Enrico Mentana began working for RAI. This is Italy's public TV and radio company. He joined the foreign news team for TG1, the main news program on Rai 1. His first TV appearance was in 1981. He reported from London about the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
One of his first big interviews was with the mother of Mehmet Ali Ağca. This was after Ağca tried to harm Pope John Paul II. Enrico quickly moved up in his career at RAI. He became a news anchor and then the editor-in-chief of a weekly TV show called Speciale TG1.
In 1987, a political leader asked him to be the main speaker for a political advertisement. Enrico refused. This decision caused some problems between him and the RAI management. From 1988, he was given less important roles. In 1991, he left RAI.
Creating TG5
In 1991, Mentana started working for Fininvest, another TV company. On January 13, 1992, he launched TG5. This was a new news program for Canale 5. He started it with other journalists. Enrico was only 37 years old at the time. He promised a fast and well-made news program.
TG5 quickly became very popular. It often had more than seven million viewers. Sometimes, it even had more viewers than TG1. This made Enrico Mentana one of Italy's most famous TV hosts.
Some important moments for TG5 included:
- The breaking news about the murder of judge Giovanni Falcone.
- An interview with a 7-year-old boy who had been kidnapped.
- A debate between political leaders Silvio Berlusconi and Achille Occhetto before the 1994 election.
- Another debate between Silvio Berlusconi and Romano Prodi before the 1996 election.
In 1994, Enrico Mentana reported on a journalist leaving a newspaper. He even interviewed the journalist live on TG5. This showed his commitment to honest reporting.
In 2001, he hosted a show called Rotocalco, which was about current events. He also started TGcom, Mediaset's first online news website. In the same year, he launched Terra!, an in-depth news show.
On November 11, 2004, Enrico announced live on air that he was leaving TG5. The company decided to change directors. He had led the news program for almost 13 years. He said it was the company's right to make this change, but he felt sad. A few days later, he became the editorial director for Mediaset.
Starting Matrix
In late 2004, Enrico hosted a special TV show about the terrible tsunami in the Indian Ocean. In 2005, he suggested creating a foundation for a famous writer's works.
On September 5, 2005, Enrico Mentana launched a new show called Matrix. This was a late-night talk show on Canale 5. He created and hosted it three times a week. It competed with another popular talk show. Enrico said he had left TG5 unwillingly, but he understood the company's decision.
From 2006 to 2007, he taught journalism at the University of Milan. For the 2008 Italian general election, he interviewed the main candidates for prime minister on Matrix.
Leading TG La7
After his time at TG5, Enrico Mentana moved to La7, a private TV channel. In 2010, he became the director of its news program, TG La7.
Awards and Recognitions
- In 1995, he won the Ischia International Journalism Award.
- An asteroid, 48720 Enricomentana, was named after him. This happened on January 31, 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Enrico Mentana para niños
