Telecupole Piemonte

Telecupole Piemonte, generally known as Telecupole, is a private Italian regional television broadcaster based in Cavallermaggiore in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont. The station is one of the historically important local television brands in Piedmont and has also been receivable in parts of Liguria and Lombardy. Its identity has been built around regional news, local culture, Piedmontese traditions, popular entertainment, music, folklore and practical information rather than around a purely national programming model. The station was founded in 1979 by publisher Luigi Toselli, with the collaboration of Danilo Pennone, who had previously worked at Telestudio, and Lorenzo Gillio, then artistic director of the Le Cupole discotheque. Within a few years, ownership passed to brothers Luigi and Piermaria Toselli. From the beginning of the 1980s, Telecupole developed a programming philosophy centered on the territory: it gave substantial attention to local dialects, customs, occupations, popular music, community events and the preservation of Piedmontese cultural memory. Among its best-known historical formats were La Trattoria dei Ricordi, associated with Meo Cavallero and Gipo Farassino, and Cantapiemonte, which showcased Piedmontese vocal and folkloric groups. Other programs combined music, interviews, variety entertainment, local comedy, social information and regional reporting. The station’s screen personalities included Gipo Farassino, Nino Bonino, Umberto Clivio, Pino Milenr, Piero Montanaro and other performers and presenters connected with Piedmontese popular culture. Its schedule also included films, television series and cartoons, allowing it to combine general entertainment with a strong local identity. During the 1980s, Telecupole carried programming from the Jolly circuit and later joined the Cinquestelle consortium. In the 1990s, locally produced entertainment regained an important place in the schedule. Formats from that period included musical and variety programs such as Il discorriere, Fantastica serata and A gentil richiesta, as well as shows including La cartolina dei ricordi, Premiato caffè, Ciao bimbi and other programs aimed at families and children. Piedmontese theatrical comedy was promoted through the Piemonte a teatro strand, while Prima serata revisited notable programs from the broadcaster’s archive. In the 1990s and 2000s, the station broadened its information and service output. Bruno Gambarotta presented Agorà, while Video Piemonte, Detto tra noi, Alla scoperta del Piemonte and Obiettivo agricoltura examined regional affairs, work, agriculture and community life. Sport Flash and Alè Toro! addressed local and football-related sports interests. The broadcaster also maintained a visible presence for music and ballroom entertainment, later developing the Ballando Le Cupole events, which became one of its most popular recurring productions. Telecupole’s news service, TG4, originated in the early 1980s under the direction of journalist Beppe Ghisolfi. Its editions focus principally on the provinces of Piedmont, while also covering important events in Liguria. The service includes reports and advice concerning employment, health, pensions, agriculture, the environment and local public affairs, together with weather information for Piedmont, Liguria and Lombardy. In the 2010s, Telecupole added or promoted formats aimed at younger audiences and contemporary music, including VideoTop, Snap and Cooking Quiz. Other productions included TG4 Salute, the bilingual cross-border program Transalp, created with partner broadcasters in France and the Alpine region, and Turismo Cuneo, which highlighted tourism and places in the Province of Cuneo. The transition to digital terrestrial television led to the creation of associated channels, including Telecupole Story, which reused current and archival programming, and Telecupole Music, focused on Italian orchestral and popular music. These channels were later closed…

Telecupole was established in 1979 in Piedmont as a private local broadcaster. Its founder, publisher Luigi Toselli, worked with Danilo Pennone, a television professional associated with Telestudio, and Lorenzo Gillio, who had been artistic director of the Le Cupole disco. The station’s early base was Cavallermaggiore in the Province of Cuneo. A few years after launch, ownership became associated with brothers Luigi and Piermaria Toselli. The station’s editorial identity emerged in the early 1980s. Rather than treating local television as a simple relay for national entertainment, Telecupole emphasized Piedmontese territory and community life. Its schedule covered local events, traditional occupations, regional customs, folklore, dialect, popular singing and practical information. Programs such as La Trattoria dei Ricordi and Cantapiemonte helped establish this identity by connecting entertainment with local memory and Piedmontese culture. The broadcaster also developed an early news service, later known as TG4, under the direction of Beppe Ghisolfi. Telecupole’s programming model changed as the Italian local television market developed. In the 1980s, the station carried material from the Jolly circuit and subsequently joined the Cinquestelle consortium. Network-linked output reduced the relative share of original productions for a period, but the broadcaster continued to maintain a recognizable regional presence. During the 1990s, Telecupole increased the importance of locally produced music, variety and community programming. Programs included Il discorriere, Fantastica serata, A gentil richiesta, La cartolina dei ricordi, Premiato caffè, Simpaticamente... sotto a chi tocca, La notte è per i gatti, Profumo di caffè and Ciao bimbi. Piedmontese performing arts remained a recurring part of the schedule. The Piemonte a teatro strand presented comedy and variety from local theatrical companies, while Prima serata revisited material from the station’s historical archive. This archival and cultural orientation became one of the ways Telecupole distinguished itself from more nationally oriented broadcasters. During the 1990s and 2000s, the station expanded its informational remit. Agorà, associated with writer Bruno Gambarotta, addressed public and regional issues. Video Piemonte, Detto tra noi, Alla scoperta del Piemonte and Obiettivo agricoltura dealt with local affairs, social issues, agriculture and the region’s economic life. Sports output included Sport flash and Alè Toro!, while presenters such as Giuseppe Milanesio, known professionally as Pino Milenr, and Piero Montanaro became prominent figures through programs including Saluti salutissimi, Scacciapensieri and Centopiazze. Ballroom dancing, popular music and revival entertainment became particularly important in the second half of the 2000s through Ballando Le Cupole. The format reinforced the station’s links with live community events, dance orchestras and older popular-music audiences. In the following decade, Telecupole also introduced programming connected with contemporary music and younger viewers, including VideoTop and Snap, as well as the cooking-themed game show Cooking Quiz. The broadcaster continued to develop specialized service and regional-affairs content. TG4 Salute addressed medicine, health and well-being. Transalp, produced with broadcasters from the French and Italian sides of the Alps, explored cross-border subjects through bilingual presentation. Turismo Cuneo promoted the Province of Cuneo and its attractions, with programming edited by Paolo Bongioanni. Telecupole’s news operation remained focused on Piedmont’s provinces, with additional coverage of significant events in Liguria. Its service features addressed employment, medicine, pensions, agriculture, the environment and local events, and included weather forecasts for Piedmont, Liguria and Lombardy. The station’s terrestrial reach also extended beyond Piedmont through distribution arrangements and multiplex carriage in Liguria and Lombardy. Digital terrestrial television brought new related services. Telecupole Story rebroadcast current and archival material from the main channel, while Telecupole Music concentrated on Italian orchestral and popular music and repeated material associated with Italianissima TV. These services were discontinued in March 2022 during the reorganization of terrestrial television frequencies associated with the release of the 700 MHz band. The flagship channel subsequently changed its logical channel numbers, while satellite carriage on Sky and Tivùsat provided an additional distribution route. Telecupole remains an active regional television brand centered on Piedmontese news, culture and entertainment.

1. 2022Associated digital channels close

   Telecupole Story and Telecupole Music are closed during terrestrial-frequency reorganization, and the flagship channel changes its logical channel assignments.

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2. 2017Satellite carriage begins

   Telecupole becomes available through Sky and Tivùsat satellite distribution.

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3. 2016Telecupole reaches first place in Piedmont

   The station is reported to have achieved first place in Piedmont, with a cited daily average audience of 143,735 viewers.

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4. 2014Telecupole ranks second among local stations

   Auditel data cited in the reference material place the broadcaster second in Piedmont and the Aosta Valley by local-station audience.

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5. 2005Ballando Le Cupole becomes a major recurring format

   The station develops a popular variety and live-event format based on ballroom dancing, popular songs and musical revivals.

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6. 1980TG4 news service is established

   Telecupole’s regional news operation begins under the direction of journalist Beppe Ghisolfi.

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7. 1980Association with the Jolly and Cinquestelle circuits

   The broadcaster first carries Jolly circuit programming and later joins the Cinquestelle consortium.

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8. 1979Telecupole is founded

   Publisher Luigi Toselli establishes the private broadcaster in Piedmont with the collaboration of Danilo Pennone and Lorenzo Gillio.

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A community-oriented regional broadcaster combining local news and practical information with Piedmontese language, folklore, music, entertainment and cultural heritage.

• TelecupoleRegional television channel1979

  The flagship regional television service broadcasts news, current affairs, local events, cultural features, music, variety entertainment, sports discussion and general programming. Its editorial focus is Piedmont, with additional reception and coverage in parts of Liguria and Lombardy.

• TG4Regional news1980

  Telecupole’s principal news service covers the provinces of Piedmont and selected events in Liguria. It also includes service reporting on employment, health, pensions, agriculture, environmental issues and local public affairs, together with regional weather forecasts.

• Telecupole StoryArchive and rebroadcast channel

  A digital-terrestrial companion channel that replayed current and historical programs from Telecupole’s archive. It was designed to extend the life of the broadcaster’s regional entertainment, cultural and variety library.

• Telecupole MusicMusic television channel

  A companion music service focused on Italian orchestras and popular music, including repeated material associated with Italianissima TV. It operated as part of the group’s digital-terrestrial channel offering before being closed during the 2022 frequency reorganization.

• 2022Consolidation of digital-terrestrial servicesStrategy

  Italian digital-terrestrial television underwent frequency changes associated with the release of the 700 MHz band.

  What changed. Telecupole discontinued the Telecupole Story and Telecupole Music channels and revised the flagship channel’s logical channel assignments.

  Aftermath. The main Telecupole service continued on terrestrial television, while satellite distribution remained an additional access route.

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• 2022Telecupole Story and Telecupole Music close during digital-frequency reorganization

  In March 2022, the two associated digital-terrestrial channels were definitively closed during the reduction and reorganization of frequencies linked to the release of the 700 MHz band. The main Telecupole service also changed its terrestrial channel assignments.

  Regulation
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• 2017Telecupole begins satellite distribution

  The broadcaster became available through satellite distribution, including Sky and Tivùsat, extending access beyond its terrestrial footprint.

  Other
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• 2016Telecupole reaches first place in Piedmont by daily average audience

  The station was reported to have reached first place in Piedmont in 2016, with a cited daily average audience of 143,735 viewers.

  Other
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• 2014Telecupole ranks among Piedmont’s leading local stations

  Auditel figures cited in the broadcaster’s reference history placed Telecupole second among local television stations in Piedmont and the Aosta Valley in 2014 and again in 2015.

  Other
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• 1990Telecupole expands local original programming in the 1990s

  The broadcaster restored a prominent role for locally produced music, variety, children’s and Piedmontese theatrical programming, including A gentil richiesta, Ciao bimbi and Piemonte a teatro.

  Other
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• 1980Telecupole joins the Cinquestelle television consortium

  After an earlier period associated with the Jolly circuit, Telecupole became part of the Cinquestelle consortium during the late 1980s, incorporating network programming while retaining locally produced content.

  Other
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1. Telecupole
2. Telecupole official website