Quick Facts
Biography
Enrico Mentana (born 15 January 1955 in Milan) is an Italian journalist and, since 15 June 2010, the director of TG La7.
Early life
Mentana is the eldest son of Franco Mentana, a Calabrian sportswriter, and Lella Mentana. Raised in the Giambellino district of Milan, he attended Classical High School "Alessandro Manzoni" before joining the Italian Socialist Party.
He became an editor of Young Left, the official organ of the Federation of Young Socialists, of which he was vice president from 1977 to 1979. He then enrolled at the University of Milan to study political science, but never graduated.
Career
RAI
On 27 February 1980, Mentana was hired by RAI, Italy's public radio and television broadcaster. His first interview was with the mother of Mehmet Ali Ağca after Ağca's assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II. Within RAI, Mentana was put in charge of TG1 and then became deputy director of TG2.
In 1987, he refused a request from Bettino Craxi, the leader of the Italian Socialist Party, to be the main spokesperson for a political commercial. This led to tension between Mentana and the RAI management. Starting in 1988, Mentana was restricted to minor roles. In 1991, he was fired from RAI.
TG5
In autumn 1991, Mentana began working for Fininvest, and on 13 January 1992, he founded Channel 5: TG5 with Lamberto Sposini, Clement J. Mimum, Emilio Carelli, Cesara Buonamici, and Cristina Parodi. Mentana served as director of the new channel, whose audience often exceeded seven million listeners. TG5 beat TG1 in viewership several times (the first time was with its extra edition announcing the murder of Judge Giovanni Falcone), making Mentana one of the best-known TV hosts in Italy.
In 1995, he received the Ischia International Journalism Award.
Personal life
In 2002, Mentana married the model and actress Michela Rocco di Torrepadula, with whom he had two children, Giulio and Vittoria. (Mentana has two other children, Stephen and Alice, from a previous relationship.) They divorced in 2013.