Rai International has been broadcasting from Rome to the rest of the world for the past 72 years.

In the 1930's Italy was one of the first countries to begin international short-wave broadcasts. Guglielmo Marconi, the man who invented radio, oversaw the construction of the first short-wave transmitter at Prato Smeraldo outside Rome on July 1st 1930. Four years later two more transmitters were completed and broadcasts began in English and Italian to North America. In 1935 broadcasting of programmes in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish began to South America.

In 1939, after the completion of six new transmitters, programmes in English were beamed to the Far East, Europe and countries around the Mediterranean. It is from the short-wave radio centre at Rome-Porto Smeraldo that all Rai International's programmes are broadcast.

During the Second World War to the original aim of linking Italy with the vast community of Italian migrants around the world were added the political and strategic motives for international broadcasting common to all the Great Powers, beginning with the former colonial nations: France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, the Soviet Union and the United States. After Italy entered the war short-wave broadcasts were suspended following the armistice signed with the Allies on September 8th 1943 and were only resumed on September 3rd 1946 with the broadcast of news bulletins in English, Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

A 1962 law allocated management of international short-wave broadcasts, for which a special committee of the Cabinet Office is responsible, to state broadcaster Rai. As the years went by the programmes lost their character of official - sometimes even propaganda - broadcasts to become a news source that fully reflects the democratic nature of the Italian Republic. Today Radio Roma offers a comprehensive news service on Italian politics, society and culture, not least within the context of the European Union.

In 1975 the setting up of a special management section for foreign broadcasting and journalism laid the foundations for significant development of the sector. Subsequently the existing services for foreign broadcasting were expanded to include Rai International's new intercontinental television channels. In the near future Rai International is destined to be transformed into an autonomous company within state broadcaster Rai.

English language programmes

In addition to Italian Rai International currently broadcasts news programmes in 25 languages. 
There are five daily news bulletins in English for the Americas, Europe, North Africa and the Far East.

Programmes for the Americas begin every day at 00.40 CET with the Italian language news broadcast Giornale dall'Italia followed by Taccuino Italiano at 01.05 CET. The English language news bulletin to North America is broadcast at 01.55 CET (00.55 GMT/UTC) on the frequencies of 9675 and 11800 kHz.

English language broadcasts to East Africa may be heard at 22.25 CET (20.25 GMT/UTC) on the frequencies of 5985, 9515 and 11880 kHz.
In the Mediterranean Basin and North Africa the English news bulletin may be heard at 05.45 CET (04.45 GMT/UTC) on the frequencies of 6100.
In Europe the news in English is broadcast at 20.35 CET (19.35 GMT/UTC) on the frequencies of 5965 and 9755 kHz.
In the Far East, Asia and Japan the news bulletin in English may be heard at 00.05 CET (22.05 GMT/UTC) on the frequencies of 11895 kHz.

English language news broadcasts to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin may also be heard on Rai International's multi-lingual satelite channel on this website.