Enrico Mentana

After his experience at TG5, he moved to TG La7, the newscast hosted on the privately owned channel La7. He became its director in 2010.

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, Stefano and Alice, from a previous relationship.) They divorced in 2013.

In autumn 1991, Mentana began working for Fininvest, and on 13 January 1992, he started the newscast hosted on the newborn Channel 5: TG5, with Lamberto Sposini, Clemente J. Mimum, Emilio Carelli, Cesara Buonamici, and Cristina Parodi. Mentana served as director of the newly created newscast, 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 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.

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, the newscast hosted on the main channel RAI 1 and then became deputy director of TG2.

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.

Enrico Mentana (born 15 January 1955 in Milan) is an Italian journalist and the director of TG La7 since 15 June 2010.