Radio in Italy's coronavirus red zone

Available for over a year

83-year-old Pino Pagani is a presenter on Radio Zona Rossa – or Radio Red Zone – in Codogno, one of the first towns in Italy to be put in lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus. With the streets and shops empty, Pino’s broadcasts provide a vital sense of community for those confined to their homes. Twice a day – at 11 AM and 5 PM – Pino reads the latest reports by local and national authorities, and gives listeners updates about the opening hours of supermarkets and bakeries. In the second half of the programme, listeners call in - often a way of solving essential problems. Pino and Radio Zona Rossa, like the rest of the town, have lost friends in the outbreak, but while the lockdown continues, Radio Zona Rossa stays on air. Pavel Fomenko is a conservationist at the World Wildlife Fund in Russia – and an expert on the Amur tigers native to the Russian Far East. He tells Emily Webb what it’s like to come face to face with a tiger in the wild. In yesterday’s Outlook, we met Doctor Thomas Moors and the Shout at Cancer choir. Today, in part two, we hear Bill Brummell's story. He's an award-winning American filmmaker who brought his film crew to the UK to follow the choir as they prepare for a concert at an iconic London venue. Bill has a strong connection with the group, as he had a laryngectomy in 2016. The film is called Can you hear my voice. He spoke to Outlook’s Mariana des Forges. Picture: Pino Pagani (left) and colloborator at Radio Zona Rossa Credit: courtesy Pino Pagani