What’s the weather like and the absurd RAI veto that prohibits Sanremo singers from being guests on other programs

Giulio Andreotti once said that it is a sin to think badly of others but we often second-guess ourselves, and this is why the last minute measure decided by the Sanremo Festival seems more a way to strike What’s the weather like than a provision to protect competing singers. On 4 December, the date on which Amadeus announces the names of 27 of the Big names in the competition live on Tg1 – the last 3 will be decided by Sanremo Giovani and inserted directly into the competition as in 2023 -, we discover, in fact, a new note: «All the artists competing will not be able to take part – nationally and/or abroad under penalty of exclusion from Sanremo 2024 and without prejudice to any further rights and/or actions provided by law and/or these Regulations – to programs, demonstrations, meetings or events, even remotely, which include their interpretations/performances of any musical composition (even if different from those presented on the occasion of the Sanremo 2024 competition), broadcast on television, radio, via the internet, etc”. Translated: the competing singers will not be able to sing any of their songs in other TV programs until the Festival, which is why the hosting of Mahmood in the last episode of What’s the weather likehosted which would have served to launch his latest single, was cancelled.

Leaving aside the fact that in the new regulation Rai will be able to grant concessions written authorizations in particular cases – but seriously? -, it seems very clear that the measure is going to strike in a way that is not even too veiled What’s the weather like which, now that it is no longer in Rai, would represent an obstacle to the promotion of the Festival. In particular, another note in the Sanremo regulation makes you smile: in fact, the regulation requires whoever wins the Festival to be a guest only in Rai broadcasts until Tuesday 13 February. Rai, therefore, will be able to “take advantage” of this exclusive throughout the weekend, guaranteeing the presence of the first place winner even in the first days of the week following the Festival. Which, of course, it would hit right What’s the weather like considering that Fabio Fazio’s program has always hosted the winner of Sanremo since he left. From here a poisonous scene between Fazio and Luciana Littizzetto precisely in relation to these apparently ad hoc measures. In fact, during the episode aired on Nove on 3 December, Littizzetto wonders what happened to Mahmood’s guest appearance planned and announced in the previous days.

«This morning the record company informed us that, since it is going to Sanremo, it could not come due to new rules», replies Fazio. “So the winner won’t come to us either?” asks Littizzetto. «This is another rule they made this morning. We have always had the winner. The circular says that for two days after the Festival, they will only be able to watch Rai programs. We feel sorry for Mahmood, for all the public who were waiting for him”, comments Fazio, specifying that, even in the absence of the winner of Sanremo, a What’s the weather like “We’ll still have fun.” It is obvious that Rai, with these two measures, wanted to underline and defend its territory, preventing other networks – particularly those of the Discovery group – from being able to feast at the same table as them, increasing ratings precisely thanks to Sanremo, however it would have been appropriate come out with a more elegant meansgiven that, after giving up on What’s the weather like, Rai has lost both one of the best programs on Italian television and the audience that Discovery managed to bring home with dignity. Sin.