Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Way back in May 1975, the frequency modulation radio band of the time was enriched with a new free broadcaster, Ror 98 MHz, Radio Oristano. Those were the years of ether pioneering. Radiolina was born a few months earlier: after Radio 1 and Radio 2, Radiolina and Ror made their way into the radio band.
A handful of very young people, led by Nanni Di Cesare and Angelo Capone, had turned on the transmitter in an attic in Via Umbria. A week later a new transmitter arrived and Ror, frequency 101 MHz, moved to the Saia buildings.
Those guys from back then, with long hair and a great desire to be on the radio and broadcast music, met again last Friday, after 49 long years. About twenty of them, today with many more years on their shoulders and with white hair, responded to the appeal of the two founders of the radio.
“I liked the radio, I liked music and then I wanted to create something that could make me work” recalled Nanni Di Cesare. How was Radio Oristano born? Cici Sotgiu, who passed away a few years ago, was a friend of Nicola Grauso, who had just opened Radiolina. He made an appointment for us in Cagliari and we decided to open a radio in Oristano too, with the same frequency as the first free radio in Sardinia. So I purchased a used transmitter. But the partnership with Grauso lasted only a few weeks. The transmitter failed, the next day I bought a new, more powerful transmitter.”
“The most beautiful thing was all those young people, many are present today at this reunion. This was the strength. Unfortunately, several of them are no longer here,” recalled Di Cesare, moved. “They came and asked if they could do a program. Salvatore Manca, Paolo Desogus and Lelle Luperi were journalists and began producing the first news bulletins. Angelo Porcheddu created the Supergoffredone, he invented dozens of characters. Roberto Pala brought great news to the airwaves and with his musical experience proposed the great groups of world music: we remembered him after his recent death. Just as we cannot forget the legendary Don Peppino Murtas, one of the leading figures of that period”.
Even then the lifeblood of radio was advertising. “The one-hour programs lasted 35 minutes,” recalls Di Cesare, “thanks to the advertising that rained on you by itself. It was a beautiful adventure, which lasted 5 years, with musical programmes, dedications, sport and information. Finding all those friends today took me back decades: it was a beautiful evening.”
“A regret from that adventurous period? Due to a fault in the transmitter we were unable to officially inaugurate Ror: Maria Giovanna Elmi had come specially from Rome for the occasion, thanks to our friend and special collaborator Silvia Orru” concluded Nanni Di Cesare. “For health reasons both she and another important voice, Massimo Murtas, were not with us to celebrate these 49 years”.
In addition to Nanni Di Cesare, present in the noisy reunion were Paolo Desogus, Mario Marazzi, Michele Spiga, Elia Sanna, Angelo Porcheddu, Salvatore Sinis, Ignazio Miscali, Maurizio Manca, Ennio Zoccheddu, Gianni Boeri, Angelo Capone, Salvatore Sechi, Giorgio Pani, Antonio Pala, Gabriele Pala, Andrea Salis and Redy Munini.
