Rai Radio 1 is the Italian public radio channel for news, talk and sport, and you can listen live and free on Radio Shuffle from anywhere in the world. It broadcasts in Italian around the clock, with bulletins, current affairs debate, phone-in shows and, on Sunday afternoons, live commentary from Serie A matches. It is operated by RAI, Italy's state-owned public broadcaster.
What You Will Hear
According to Wikipedia, the channel specialises in news, sports coverage and talk programming. Radio anch'io is one of its best-known news and talk programmes, and the station also runs special programming for Italian minorities in Slovenia and Croatia. It is distributed on digital terrestrial radio and streams online through RaiPlay Sound. If you want to hear how Italians actually discuss the day's stories, this is one of the most direct ways to do it.
The Sunday Ritual: Tutto il calcio minuto per minuto
The programme that defines Rai Radio 1 for many Italians is Tutto il calcio minuto per minuto, a live football show on the air since 1960. Italian Wikipedia records that it was created in January 1960 by Guglielmo Moretti together with Roberto Bortoluzzi, who was also its first host, Sergio Zavoli and Giorgio Boriani, after trial broadcasts in 1959. The official debut came at 3:15 pm on Sunday 10 January 1960. The format is simple and beloved: reporters at several grounds pass the microphone back and forth as goals go in. One of its legendary voices was Sandro Ciotti, who worked on the programme from 1960 to 1996 and became its first voice after Ameri retired.
Italy's First Radio, Renamed Many Times
The channel's roots go back to Italy's first radio station, which began broadcasting from Rome on 6 October 1924. It passed through several organisations, from URI (1924 to 1927) to EIAR (1927 to 1944) and then RAI. After the Second World War, radio was reorganised from 3 November 1946 to provide two national channels. The first was initially known as Rete Azzurra, the blue network, before becoming the Programma Nazionale in 1952, then Radiouno and finally Rai Radio 1. It is a good example of a public service that has been reinvented repeatedly while holding on to the same mission: to be the national conversation.
How to Listen on Radio Shuffle
Open Rai Radio 1 on Radio Shuffle and press play. The stream is live, so it is what is on air in Italy right now. It is a natural companion for anyone learning Italian, following Italian politics or wanting to keep up with Serie A results without a television. Save it to your favourites and it will be one tap away next time.
Press Play
From a Rome transmitter in 1924 to a streaming national voice a century later, Rai Radio 1 still sounds like Italy talking to itself. Hit play on Radio Shuffle and join the conversation.