Pippo Baudo: The Master Puppeteer of Italian Television

A year after the death of Pippo Baudo on August 16, 2025, the Italian cultural magazine doppiozero reflects on the television icon's unique persona. Baudo, who passed away at the age of 89, was a dominant figure in Italian entertainment for decades, hosting numerous variety shows and Sanremo Music Festival editions. The article, written by Gianfranco Marrone and Anita Romanello, argues that Baudo's defining characteristic was his lack of a distinctive persona—a 'degree zero' of character. Unlike other hosts who crafted exaggerated personalities to stand out in the media landscape, Baudo remained deliberately understated, always a step behind, yet orchestrating everything from that position. This strategy, the authors suggest, made him the perfect representative of the average man who succeeds and teaches his audience. The piece also notes that Baudo received critical attention from scholars, drawing a parallel with Umberto Eco's famous analysis of Mike Bongiorno, another television emblem. While Eco focused on Bongiorno, other semioticians and sociologists examined Baudo's role. The article positions Baudo as an absolute media icon and a master puppeteer ('astuto puparo'), whose subtle approach to television hosting left a lasting impact on Italian culture.