RMC Radio Monte Carlo streams Italian adult contemporary and pop hits live, part of the Mediaset radio network, and you can hear it free on Radio Shuffle from anywhere in the world.
Launched to Reach the Tyrrhenian Coast
The Italian-language version of Radio Monte Carlo went on air for the first time at 2pm on March 6, 1966, reaching listeners along the Tyrrhenian coast as far as Naples and into southeastern France, according to Italian Wikipedia's history of the station. Sofirad, the French state company that co-owned the original Monaco broadcaster alongside the Principality of Monaco, tasked radio official Noel Coutisson with verifying whether an Italian-language service was even feasible before greenlighting the launch.
Quiz Shows That Jammed Italy's Phone Lines
The station's peak stretched from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, when its call-in quiz shows became popular enough to overload local telephone exchanges as listeners across Italy tried to phone in at once. A roster of well-known deejays, including Ettore Andenna, Herbert Pagani, and Luisella Berrino among others, built the station's identity during that stretch, turning what began as a feasibility experiment into one of Italy's most listened-to music stations of the era.
From Independent Broadcaster to RadioMediaset
Radio Monte Carlo eventually separated from its French parent operation to run as its own broadcaster, and ownership continued to shift over the following decades. On September 5, 2018, the Hazan Finelco group sold the station to RadioMediaset, folding it into the same media company, founded by Silvio Berlusconi, that also owns Radio 105 and Virgin Radio Italia.
Why Tune In
RMC Radio Monte Carlo carries nearly sixty years of Italian broadcasting history into its current run as a Mediaset adult contemporary station, from a coastal experiment aimed at reaching Naples to a fixture of the national dial. For listeners who want Italian pop and adult contemporary hits with a station whose own history runs back to the golden age of Italian radio quizzes, it delivers exactly that.
Listen to RMC Radio Monte Carlo free on Radio Shuffle, streaming Italian adult contemporary music live.