Radio Up & Down: on Radio 24 the programme with an extra chromosome that has taken Italy by storm
It began on Radio 24 in January 2025 as a bold, out-of-the-box, against-the-flow experiment to tell stories of diversity and sustainability, and within months has become a media sensation.
Radio Up&Down, the programme by Paolo Ruffini and Federico Parlanti, Italy’s first radio host with Down syndrome, has revolutionized radio by bringing a mix of irony, reflection, and authentic inclusion to the airwaves each week.
The programme, born from a simple yet revolutionary idea, aims to give voice to those who, too often, are excluded from mainstream media. And as Paolo Ruffini puts it, Radio Up&Down is “a broadcast that was born wrong, but for that very reason is deeply human. Error is what sets us apart from robots, and we celebrate it.”
During the first winter season, the programme hosted leading figures such as Paolo Bonolis, Aldo Cazzullo, Antonio Di Pietro, Bruno Bozzetto, Marco Travaglio, and Paolo Crepet, producing interviews that went beyond radio and went viral on social media, with over 50 million total views. A viral impact, and also deeply meaningful.
Following the major success of the first season, the programme - confirmed in Radio 24’s summer schedule airing from 28 July to 5 September - is now broadcast daily: live every Monday to Friday at 6 p.m.
The new summer format has also introduced other young hosts with Down syndrome, broadening the project’s reach and representation.
But there is more behind it. In the daily version, dialogue with the audience is constant: open microphones, live calls, messages, and social media engagement make each episode a vibrant and engaging experience. The topic of the day is announced each morning on Radio 24 and Paolo Ruffini’s social channels, inviting listeners to share thoughts and personal stories.
“At Radio Up&Down inclusion isn’t said, it’s done,” says Paolo Ruffini. The broadcast moves freely between high and low, allowing space to laugh and reflect together, without judgment.
Radio 24, long committed to social inclusion, reaffirms itself with “Radio Up&Down” as a distinctive voice in the radio landscape, open to new editorial challenges, breaking stereotypes, and building an inclusive account of reality. An open lab where diversity becomes expertise, and every voice can make a difference.
Radio Up&Down is not just a radio programme: it is a successful experiment in inclusive communication, showing how error, imperfection, and diversity can become tools of beauty and truth. In a media landscape too often lacking variety, Radio Up&Down stands out as a free, flawed, and genuine voice. A voice outside the mainstream that stays on air even in the hottest months, live, always on Radio 24.