RTV 38

RTV 38 is an Italian regional television network based in Tuscany. Founded on 15 May 1975 as Televaldarno RTV38 s.r.l., it is the first television station established in Tuscany and was among the first in Italy to broadcast 24 hours a day. The network began with experimental broadcasts of the Perdono festivals in Figline Valdarno and started over-the-air transmission in 1976 via UHF channels 38 and 26, gradually expanding across Tuscany and other parts of central Italy. Over the decades, RTV 38 has been part of national circuits such as Euro TV (1982–1987) and Odeon TV, and later joined Tv7 Pathè. It acquired the Florentine station VideoFirenze in the early 2000s and founded its own advertising agency, Studio 80. In 2004, it became the first Tuscan television to experiment with digital terrestrial broadcasting, and in 2011 it ranked first among 56 broadcasters for digital frequency assignment in Tuscany. The network has produced notable programs, including a series hosted by Gianfranco Funari in the early 2000s and the first season of Michele Santoro's Servizio Pubblico in 2011–2012, for which it held the Tuscan exclusive. RTV 38 is currently owned and managed by Boris Mugnai and his son Filippo Mugnai. It maintains a strong territorial identity, focusing on in-depth local news, culture, and current affairs, and has invested in technological innovation, expanding to web and digital platforms with live streaming and integrated programming. The station is active on social media and uses WhatsApp for citizen journalism, feeding contributions into its TG38 newscast.

RTV 38 was founded on 15 May 1975 under the corporate name Televaldarno RTV38 s.r.l., which in 1993 changed to Televaldarno RTV38 Due s.a.s. di Boris Mugnai & C., with Boris Mugnai as majority partner. The first television experiments involved broadcasting the Perdono festivals of Figline Valdarno. In 1976, over-the-air transmissions began via UHF channels 38 and 26, progressively extending coverage to Tuscany and other regions of central Italy. It is the first broadcaster established in Tuscany and was the first in the region to offer 24-hour programming, one of the first nationally as well. During the transition to digital, RTV 38 achieved a leading position among regional and local TV stations in terms of audience and appreciation for its news work, a leadership that persists today. From 1982 to 1987, it joined the Euro TV circuit, later moving to Odeon TV, which allowed for great diffusion. In those years, there were many programs of interest, including in the early 2000s a series hosted by Gianfranco Funari under various names (Virus, Extra Omnes, Funari forever), with notable guests such as Marco Travaglio, Antonio Di Pietro, Massimo Fini, and Pasquale Squitieri. In the same years, RTV 38 acquired the Florentine station VideoFirenze, founded in 1977, expanding its transmission network and production capacity. It also founded its own advertising agency, Studio 80, based in Florence, enabling autonomous ad sales and contributing to economic growth. On 1 January 2008, it left the Odeon TV circuit, which moved to the frequencies of Florentine Canale 10, then under the same ownership. Already in the early 1990s, RTV 38 had left the network to join the short-lived Tv7 Pathè. In March 2004, RTV 38 began digital terrestrial transmissions, the first Tuscan television to experiment with that technology. In 2011, it ranked first among 56 broadcasters for digital terrestrial frequency assignment in Tuscany. Michele Santoro's Servizio Pubblico was broadcast for its first season in 2011–2012 by a network of local TV stations; RTV 38 obtained the Tuscan exclusive. The first episode drew just over 224,000 viewers in the average minute for RTV38 out of 2.2 million total, behind only Telelombardia. Many well-known personalities have worked and still collaborate with RTV 38, including Andrea Agresti, Cristiano Militello, Elisa Sergi, Matilde Calamai, Duccio Del Lungo, Marco Corsi, and Francesco Selvi. From September 2009, Sunday to Friday from 19:30 to 1:00, the program 19.30-25 aired, five and a half hours of live in-depth journalism curated by the RTV 38 newsroom. From September 2010, the newscast 38news changed its name to TG38 Il telegiornale della Toscana, airing six daily editions. On 28 March 2013, along with other regional broadcasters affiliated with Publishare, it obtained the rights to broadcast 40 matches of the last 10 rounds of the Spanish Liga. Also in 2013, it signed a media partnership for the 2013 UCI Road World Championships held in Tuscany. Since 2012, RTV 38 has broadcast live all matches of the Calcio storico fiorentino. The station is an official media partner of Hard Rock Cafe Firenze, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, and La Nazione. Currently, the station is owned by Boris Mugnai and his son Filippo Mugnai, who directly manage it and its editorial line. Under their guidance, RTV 38 has continued to strengthen its territorial identity, focusing on in-depth local news and programs related to Tuscan culture and current affairs. In recent years, the station has invested in technological innovation, expanding its presence on the web and digital platforms, with streaming content and increasingly integrated programming between traditional TV and new media.

• Founded as Televaldarno RTV38 s.r.l.

• Started over-the-air transmissions via UHF channels 38 and 26

• Part of the Euro TV circuit

• Corporate name changed to Televaldarno RTV38 Due s.a.s. di Boris Mugnai & C.

• Began digital terrestrial transmissions, first in Tuscany

• Left the Odeon TV circuit

• Launched program 19.30-25

• 38news renamed to TG38 Il telegiornale della Toscana

• Ranked first among 56 broadcasters for digital frequency assignment in Tuscany

• Held Tuscan exclusive for Servizio Pubblico

• Began live broadcasts of Calcio storico fiorentino

• Obtained rights to broadcast Spanish Liga matches

• Media partnership for 2013 UCI Road World Championships

Leading Tuscan regional television network with a strong focus on local news, culture, and cross-media innovation.

• TG38 Il telegiornale della Toscana

  Main newscast, six daily editions

• 19.30-25

  Live in-depth journalism program (2009–)

• Servizio Pubblico

  Tuscan exclusive broadcast of Michele Santoro's program (2011–2012)

• Calcio storico fiorentino

  Live broadcasts since 2012

• Spanish Liga matches

  Broadcast rights for 40 matches in 2013

1. 1RTV 38 - Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org
2. 2RTV 38 - Wikidatawikidata.org