Massimo Cirri leaves Radio 2's Caterpillar after nearly 30 years

Massimo Cirri, journalist, psychologist and author, has announced he will no longer host Caterpillar, the historic Rai Radio 2 program he created and hosted since 1997. Cirri cited growing tensions with Radio 2 management, which also led co-host Sara Zambotti to leave the show and move to Radio 3. Last year, after former Tg2 deputy director Giovanni Alibrandi became director of Radio 2, the program was moved from its long-standing 6-8 PM slot to 7:45-9 PM, which typically has fewer listeners. Cirri says his contract expired in June and he was never contacted for renewal; despite requests, management never confirmed the program's future. On the final episode of Caterpillar on June 17, Cirri and Zambotti made the situation public. Rai denied the program was closing. Cirri told Il Post that Alibrandi later offered him to continue the show, but he refused because it would be without Zambotti, who had worked on the program for over a decade and was a Rai employee. Caterpillar covers current affairs, politics and social issues with a light, ironic tone, known for active audience participation and the annual "CaterRaduno" meetup. Since 2005, the program has run the "M'illumino di meno" campaign, recognized by parliament as a National Day three years ago: every February 16, lighting on public buildings and monuments is symbolically reduced to raise awareness about energy consumption and environmental protection.