Short-tempered journalist who became the news
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| Broadcaster became an unintentional internet phenomenon |
Mosconi became notorious for his short temper and swearing
on air and was regarded as a bit of a character on local television. But he
became known all over Italy and throughout the world after a video of him
someone posted anonymously on the internet went viral.
In the 1980s Mosconi delivered sports reports on Telenuovo
in Verona and in 1982 he received the Cesare d’Oro international award for
journalistic merit.
But he later became known for his excessive swearing and
blaspheming. The anonymous video showed his irate reactions to various problems
he encountered while broadcasting, such as people unexpectedly entering the
studio, background noises and illegible writing on the news sheets he received.
His use of swearwords, blasphemy and insults in both Italian
and Venetian dialect and his other humorous antics made the video compulsive
viewing all over the world.
Internet forums discussing Mosconi appeared and Mosconi fan
clubs were set up.
However, the sports journalist did not relish his notoriety
and declined every request for an interview related to the video.
Away from television, he edited the German-language magazine
Gardasee Zeitung, dedicated to tourists visiting Lake Garda, and worked for the
newspapers Il Gazzettino and L’Arena in Verona.
Mosconi died in Verona in 2012 at the age of 79, following a
long illness. He left a wife, Elsa, and one daughter, Margherita.
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| The cathedral in San Bonifacio |
San Bonifacio, where Mosconi was born, is a town in the
province of Verona about 25 kilometres to the east of the city of Verona. It
borders the municipality of Soave, where the famous white wine is produced. San
Bonifacio’s main sights are the seventh century Abbey of St Peter with its
imposing 12th century bell tower and the 12th century cathedral.
Travel tip:
Verona is famous as the city of Romeo and Juliet and for
opera. Mosconi worked as a broadcaster there and also as a journalist on
L’Arena, which was founded in 1866, before the Veneto became part of the
Kingdom of Italy, and is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. Named after the
Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra, which hosts concerts and operas every summer,
the newspaper is now based in San Martino Buon Albergo, a suburb of Verona.