Cinzia Padovani is assistant professor of the political economy of the mass media in the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University.

• Chapter 1 ForewordChapter 2 AcknowledgmentsChapter 3 Introduction: Public Service Broadcasting: The Party System and DemocracyChapter 4 1 Democracy in Italy (1945-2003)Chapter 5 2 RAI and the Party System (Part I)Chapter 6 3 RAI and the Party System (Part II)Chapter 7 4 Lottizzazione: A Normal Practice for Public Service JournalistsChapter 8 Conclusion: Political Power and the MediaChapter 9 GlossaryChapter 10 Bibliography

Offering a thorough, well-documented examination of the nexus between Italian politics and public television over the past 60 years, Padovani concludes that government involvement in the television system may have in some ways improved the public service role of state-owned television broadcasting. She explains how a political quota system served to stabilize the system in an ironic sort of way. Detailed and current (the author includes many mentions of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, his party, and his private media holdings), the book is undoubtedly the most thorough examination of the topic available in English. Highly recommended.