Lingua inglese - Low politics

Italy’s Festival of Syrupy Songs Loses High Ratings to Low Politics

But this year no holds are barred, and Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, who is popularly fighting off the “flop” word this week when their equally luscious eye candy to run head to head -opening show was watched by fewer people than taking millions of Sanremo's ratings. Twelve millions viewers and an audience share of 40 percent sounds pretty good but the producer’s believed to be deliberately undermining RAI to benefit its own Mediaset channels, has scheduled.

Is the problem the hoary formula of syrupy love songs alternating with vapid celebrity chatter before shimmering sets? Sanremo, after all, is in its 53rd year, Italy's chirruping harbinger of spring. This year the actress Sharon Stone is the chief guest, flying 22 hours with husband and sizeable staff to make a.

and was the only begetter of the five-minute appearance for which she will Eurovision Song Contest. If you traced the word reportedly receive Euro 250,000 (£170,000)."Eurotrash" to its source you would probably find yourself in Sanremo in 1951. But that's not it: Peter Gabriel gave a brief anti-war oration, Italian television audiences can't get enough of following in a tradition at the festival that has seen this sort of stuff. It goes down well along with a the likes of actor Roberto Benigni, Bono and The variety of home-produced and South American Edge and Mikhail Gorbachev appeal to the soap-operas, a glut of football (more commentary audience's higher feelings. than matches), and endless arrays of dancing And the music? Not much to shout about so far. girls on the nightly variety shows. As usual in Italy, But the singers have a lot to live up to. It was at politics is not far away. this festival many years ago that Dusty Springfield Sanremo's

Incredible ratings – reaching a peak of heard Pino Donaggio sing the great ballad that17.5 million viewers in 2000 – were the result of a became, in her hands, the mammoth hit, "Youcosy pact between RAI, the state broadcaster Don't Have To Say You Love Me". The stuff ofwhich has always staged the festival, and the history.commercial channels, which put on shows of The Independent, March 7, 2003minority interest during the Sanremo weekallowing RAI to fill its boots.

Text 5The War of Words Between Copywriters and Language PuristsAmong the various professional groups, the war between language purists and advertising writers is ofspecial intensity. Purists are making every effort to “preserve” the language - to set a kind of standardas to what is right and what is wrong. Copywriters, on the other hand, say that today's writers “dare tobe different”. They must find new ideas and fresh ways to express them.

Never hesitate to inject colourful thoughts and expressions into your copy. Of course, in some areas, both sides are right. And in others, both sides may be wrong.

COPYWRITERS

Copywriters consider themselves as word mechanics, skilled professionals with a fondness for words. They must be imaginative, and still, their writing must be succinct and eye-catching. They are good writers, even though some of their vocabulary and structures may be somewhat unconventional. After all, their job is to attract the reader. If their copy is grammatically perfect but lacks fire and vitality, readers will not be interested. And the product will not sell. One legend in the advertising world, Claude Hopkins, summed it up this way: "Copy writing is salesmanship in print. The consumer must find something attractive in the ad". Another way of saying the same thing is that copy is communication. It should attract, inform, interest and persuade the reader to think about the product. Advertising copy is not

Intended to ‘educate’ the reader in the general sense of the term. It is not intended for language purists.