{{Infobox radio station | name = Unione radiofonica italiana | country = IT | area = [[Kingdom of Italy]] | airdate = {{Start date|1924|10|06|df=y}} | last_airdate = {{ubl|{{end date|1927|11|17|df=y}} (de jure)|{{end date|1928}} (de facto)}} | format = News, Classical music | language = [[Italian language|Italian]] | owner = {{Unbulleted list|Radiofono|SIRAC|Italian government}} }} '''Unione radiofonica italiana''' or '''URI''' (the "Italian Radiophonic Union"), was an Italian radio broadcaster founded in [[Turin]] on 27 August 1924. It was the exclusive radio broadcaster of the [[Kingdom of Italy]].
== History == === Establishment === On 8 February 1923, the Royal decree n. 1067 gave the State the exclusive rights for the radio broadcasts to be exercised through a concessionaire company.<ref name="Annuario1988"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:regio.decreto:1923-02-08;1067|title=REGIO DECRETO 8 febbraio 1923, n. 1067|date=1923-02-08|website=Normattiva|language=it}}</ref> In consequence, three companies were founded in order to achieve the licence, all of them were related to American and British manufacturers of radio devices:
* The "Società italiana radio audizioni circolari" (SIRAC), founded by [[Riccardo Gualino]] and representative of [[RCA Corporation|RCA]] for Italy<ref name="Nunziata" /> * The "Società Anonima Radiofono - Società italiana per le radiocomunicazioni circolari" (Radiofono), founded in September 1923 by [[Guglielmo Marconi]] through the British [[Marconi Company]]<ref name="Nunziata">{{Cite web|url=https://www.democratica.com/europaquotidiano/6-ottobre-1924-i-novantanni-della-radio/|title=Cara vecchia radio, novant'anni dopo|last=Nunziata|first=Renato|date=2014-10-06|website=Democratica|language=it|access-date=2019-09-24|archive-date=2019-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924212752/https://www.democratica.com/europaquotidiano/6-ottobre-1924-i-novantanni-della-radio/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * The third competitor was engineer Luigi Ranieri, publisher of ''[[Araldo Telefonico|L'Araldo Telefonico]]'' and, accordingly to a provisional licence,<ref name="Nunziata1">{{Cite journal|first=Renato|last=Nunziata|title=Il primo broadcasting in Italia|journal=Armonia - Rai Senior|date=May–June 2018|pages=14–15}}</ref> the experimental ''Radio Araldo'', formed after an agreement with [[Western Electric]].<ref name="Nunziata"/> Negotiations lasted more than a year, but the Minister of Post [[Giovanni Antonio Colonna di Cesarò]] seemed to want to give the licence to Ranieri.<ref name="Nunziata"/>
However, at the beginning of 1924, Di Cesarò resigned from the government and he was replaced by [[Costanzo Ciano]], who preferred Marconi.<ref name="Nunziata"/>
Ranieri succeeded to achieve a technical test. On 20 March 1924, Radiofono installed a test station in the Centocelle district of [[Rome]], but it failed to broadcast a speech of Benito Mussolini in the [[Teatro dell'Opera di Roma|Costanzi theater]] on the next 23 March probably due to electric interferences.<ref>{{Cite book|title=80 anni di storia della radio: Dossier delle Teche Rai|date=September 2004|publisher=Rai|pages=105}}</ref>
On 3 June 1924, Minister of Communications Costanzo Ciano addressed a letter to the companies who requested the licence, inviting them to find an agreement.
A compromise was reached with the formation of a united company, without however the joining of Radio Araldo which did not have enough capital in order to take part in it. On 27 August 1924, the URI was founded by Radiofono and SIRAC through the subscription of a share capital of 1,400,000 [[Italian lira|lire]] (82.9% of Radiofono e 17.1% of SIRAC).<ref name="Annuario1988">{{Cite book|title=Annuario RAI 1988 1989|location=Turin|publisher=Nuova ERI|year=1989}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.storiadellaradio.rai.it/dl/portali/site/articolo/ContentItem-d3384361-91fc-4b38-b8ab-9ec4031ec7aa.html|title=Storia della Radio dal 1924 al 1933|website=Storia della radio|publisher=Rai|language=it|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref> Enrico Marches from FIAT was appointed as president,<ref name=":0" /> while Luigi Solari, close to [[Guglielmo Marconi]], as deputy president.
=== Broadcasts === On 6 October 1924, at 9 pm, the first URI station of San Filippo in Rome, produced by Marconi, broadcast the first regular announcement read by Maria Luisa Boncompagni:<ref name=":0" />
{{Quote|Italian Radiophonic Union. 1-RO, Rome station. Inaugural symphonic concert.|sign=Maria Luisa Boncompagni<ref>{{YouTube|title=Primo annuncio in assoluto della radio italiana, URI 06/10/1924.|id=81xj23TvTxc}}{{Quote|Unione Radiofonica Italiana. 1-RO, stazione di Roma. Concerto sinfonico inaugurale.}}</ref>|source=}}
Shortly after, Ines Viviani Donarelli, from the Roman station of Corrodi Palace, presented the first programme:
{{Quote|URI (Unione Radiofonica Italiana). 1-RO: station of Rome. Radio wavelength 425 meters. Our greeting and good evening to all the listeners. It is 9 pm of 6 October 1924. We broadcast the inaugural concert of the first Italian radiophonic station, for the circular radio hearings service. The quartet formed by Ines Viviani Donarelli, who is speaking, Alberto Magalotti, Amedeo Fortunati and Alessandro Cicognani, will perform [[Haydn]] from the ''Opus 7'' string quartet, I and II half.|sign=Ines Viviani Donarelli<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radiomarconi.com/marconi/donarelli.wav|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102061536/http://www.radiomarconi.com/marconi/donarelli.wav|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 2, 2005|title=Original Audio|language=it|website=Radio Marconi|quote=URI (Unione Radiofonica Italiana). 1-RO: stazione di Roma. Lunghezza d'onda metri 425. A tutti coloro che sono in ascolto il nostro saluto e il nostro buonasera. Sono le ore 21 del 6 ottobre 1924. Trasmettiamo il concerto di inaugurazione della prima stazione radiofonica italiana, per il servizio delle radio audizioni circolari. Il quartetto composto da Ines Viviani Donarelli, che vi sta parlando, Alberto Magalotti, Amedeo Fortunati e Alessandro Cicognani, eseguirà Haydn dal quartetto "Opera 7", I e II tempo.}}</ref>|source=}}
The programme, which lasted one hour and a half, broadcast [[opera]], [[Chamber music|chamber]] and [[classical music]] along with a weather report and news about the stock exchange.
On 27 November 1924, the government gave URI private company the exclusive licences of radio broadcasting for six years (extendable to other four), accordingly to an agreement signed on 27 November 1924<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it//enciclopedia/rai-radiotelevisione-italiana|title=Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana|website=Treccani|language=it|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref> and the Royal Decree n. 2191 of 14 October 1924.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:regio.decreto:1924-12-14;2191|title=REGIO DECRETO 14 dicembre 1924, n. 2191|date=1924-12-14|website=Normattiva|language=it}}</ref>
With that decree, URI was considered the only Italian radio broadcaster to be authorized to spread news of public interest and the government was the only one to approve the news broadcasting from press agencies different from [[Agenzia Stefani]], the official source as well as the first Italian press agency founded in 1853 by [[Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour]].<ref name=":0" />
The URI announcer was [[Maria Luisa Boncompagni]] from ''L'Araldo Telefonico'' and ''Radio Araldo''.
On 18 January 1925, URI published the first issue of ''[[Radiocorriere TV|Radiorario]]'', a weekly magazine which provided the broadcast schedules<ref name="Annuario1988" /> and publicized the new media to the public.<ref name=":0" />
The radio station of Rome was followed by the one of [[Milan]] (8 December 1925) and [[Naples]] (14 November 1926).<ref name="Annuario1988" /><ref name=":0" />
In October 1926, adverts began to be broadcast and the advertising space was provided by [[Rai Pubblicità|Sipra]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radiomarconi.com/marconi/rai_cronologia1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040509081956/http://www.radiomarconi.com/marconi/rai_cronologia1.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 9, 2004|title=La vera storia della radiodiffusione in Italia - CRONOLOGIA DAL 1919-2000|website=Radio Marconi|publisher=Comitato Guglielmo Marconi International|language=it|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref>
The radio broadcasting phenomena, initially hindered by prohibitive costs for a very poor Italy, took off in the thirties due to the initiatives promoted by the [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Fascist regime]] which gave to each [[casa del Fascio]] a radio device and promoted the spread of economical devices like [[Radiorurale]]<ref name=":0" /> and radio [[Balilla (radio)|Balilla]].
According to the Royal Law Decree n. 2207 of 17 November 1927,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.infoleges.it/service1/scheda.aspx?service=1&id=87438|title=REGIO DECRETO LEGGE 17 Novembre 1927, n. 2207|date=1927-11-17|website=Infoleges|language=it|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref> URI became the [[Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche]] (EIAR) in January 1928.<ref name=":0" />
== See also == * [[Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche]] * [[RAI]] * [[Rai Radio 1]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Bibliography == * {{Cite book|first=Gabriele|last=Balbi|title=La radio prima della radio|location=Rome|publisher=Bulzoni|year=2010}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Radio in Italy]] [[Category:Radio stations established in 1924]] [[Category:Publicly funded broadcasters]]