''Il Messaggero'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: "The Messenger") is an Italian

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...

based in

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It has been in circulation since 1878.

History and profile

''Il Messaggero'' was founded in December 1878. On 1 January 1879, the first issue of ''Il Messaggero'' was published, under the management of Luigi Cesana. The paper aimed at being the newspaper of newspapers and at providing its readers with all opinions and all events. The first four copies of the paper were delivered as free samples to the subscribers of the newspaper, '' Il Fanfulla''. One of the early

editors-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''Il Messaggero'' was

Alberto Cianca Alberto Cianca (1884–1966) was an Italian journalist and anti-fascist politician. He edited several significant publications, including '' Il Mondo'', and served in the Parliament and Senate. Early life and education Cianca was born in Rome on ...

who resigned from the post due to political reasons. Since its inception, ''Il Messaggero'' has been owned by different companies. One of the former owners is

Montedison Edison S.p.A. is an Italian electric utility company headquartered in Milan. The company was established in 1884 and acquired by Electricité de France in 2012. Edison employs more than 5,000 people in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. ...

through the Ferruzzi Group. In 1996 the paper was acquired by Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone. He founded the

Caltagirone Editore Caltagirone Editore S.p.A. is an Italian publisher, based in Rome, Italy, founded in July 1999 (following the purchase of the newspapers ''Il Messaggero'' and ''Il Mattino'' in 1999). Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone is the founder of the company ...

in 1999. The company is the majority owner of the paper which has its 90%. Its leaders include

Azzurra Caltagirone Azzurra is a yacht racing team that competed in the America's Cup, the Audi MedCup and the 52 Super Series for the Italian Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. History Funded by business magnate Aga Khan IV and industrialist Gianni Agnelli, and man ...

, the partner of the political leader

Pierferdinando Casini Pier Ferdinando Casini (; born 3 December 1955) is an Italian politician. He served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006. Casini is the honorary president of the Centrist Democrat International and the Inter-Parliamentary ...

, on its board. The company also owns ''

Corriere Adriatico ''Corriere Adriatico'' is an Italian regional newspaper which is one of the oldest publications in Italy and had been in circulation since 1860. The headquarters of the paper is in Ancona. History and profile ''Corriere Adriatico'' was establ ...

'' and ''

Il Mattino ''Il Mattino'' (meaning ''The Morning'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Naples, Italy. History and profile ''Il Mattino'' was first published on 16 March 1892 by the journalists Edoardo Scarfoglio and Matilde Serao. The ...

''. The publisher of the daily is Il Messaggero S.p.A. ''Il Messaggero'' is published in broadsheet format and is based in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In addition to its national edition the paper has 12 local editions, including those for the regions of

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...

and

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

. The daily has a

centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The ...

political leaning.

Circulation

The 1988 circulation of ''Il Messaggero'' was 370,000 copies. It was the sixth best-selling Italian newspaper in 1997 with a circulation of 256,400 copies. The paper had a circulation of 288,000 copies in 1999. In 2000 the circulation of the paper was 292,000 copies. Its circulation was 293,000 copies in 2001 and 258,538 copies in 2002. The circulation of the paper was 252,000 copies in 2003 and 240,778 copies in 2004. The paper had a circulation of 230,697 copies in 2005. Its circulation was 216,000 copies in 2007. In 2012 ''Il Messaggero'' sold 91,012,767 copies.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messaggero 1878 establishments in Italy Italian-language newspapers Newspapers published in Rome Publications established in 1878 Daily newspapers published in Italy