Fifty years of news, images, and collective memory. Videolina's news program reaches its half-century mark. On July 3, 1976, at 9:00 PM, TGS debuted, the first news program entirely dedicated to Sardinia. Since then, it has never stopped reporting on the island, documenting its changes, emergencies, and transformations, becoming a daily fixture for generations of Sardinians. Videolina, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and its news program, launched ten months later, have contributed to changing the way news is presented since the private broadcaster's inception. From its initial outset, inevitably centered around Cagliari, coverage quickly expanded throughout the region, giving voice to every corner of the island. Over the course of half a century, the program has weathered advertising market crises and profound technological innovations, while maintaining its identity.
A journey that began with the innovative vision of founder Niki Grauso and continued under publisher Sergio Zuncheddu, who ensured its continuity and development. The editorial staff has alternated between Patrizio Mulas, TGS's first director, Lucio Spiga, Andrea Coco, Francesco Birocchi, Sandro Angioni, Bepi Anziani, the longest-serving director with 26 years in office, and current director Emanuele Dessì, in office since 2010. The format has also evolved. From the original evening newscast, in the early 1980s it expanded to three and then four editions per day. In 1988, Videolina introduced a new model: a continuous stream of newscasts, reruns and updated every half hour. On January 1, 2000, after 24 years, TGS became Tg Videolina, paving the way for the current model with fourteen daily editions followed by in-depth features.
Among the live broadcasts that have made the news program's history is the one covering the feast of Sant'Efisio, six days of uninterrupted coverage watched every year by thousands of Sardinians around the world. Then there are the electoral marathons and the visits of Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. The broadcast on September 22, 2013, remains the most watched in the history of Italian private broadcasting, with an average audience share of 50 percent and peaks of 55 percent. Each edition is the result of the work of dozens of professionals: journalists, camera operators, editors, directors, and technicians, often invisible but indispensable. Today, Videolina's news program reaches audiences via digital terrestrial, satellite, and streaming, maintaining the same mission as its beginnings: to tell Sardinia's story to Sardinians, wherever they are. Part of today's editions, starting at 1 p.m., will be dedicated to the half-century of television news, featuring archive footage and previously unseen footage that chronicles the evolution of the newsroom and its reporting style. This loyalty is reciprocated by the audience: in the first months of 2026, Videolina confirmed its position as Italy's leading local private television station in terms of average audience, culminating fifty years of providing news to the island.