Philip Baglini Olland: "We are the national radio of Italians in the UK"

We know that there has always been a bit of Italy in London. This piece of the Belpaese is also represented by Philip Baglini Olland, a successful entrepreneur in the media sector who adores the lifestyle of the English capital.

Born in Pietrasanta, land of poets, writers and artists (under the rock of the Versilian town Ferdinando Botero had decided to buy a house), after having attended the Normale of Pisa, obtaining a degree in Nuclear Physics, he decided to move to the United Kingdom.

Baglini Olland has two great passions, journalism and broadcasting, two passions which have materialized in the direction of the magazine "L'ItaloEuropeo", of "London One Radio", the only Italian-language radio station present today in Great Britain and of society of communication International Communication & Services Ltd.

2024 represented a very important year in the life of this talented entrepreneur, now a Londoner by adoption: in addition to turning fifty, his creation, "London One Radio", also celebrated its first ten years of age exactly in the year of the centenary of radio.

And, of course, since this broadcaster represents a piece of Italy in London, since 2018 Philip has enthusiastically followed the Sanremo Festival, the main media event for Italians, including those residing in the United Kingdom.

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How does this boundless affection for Great Britain come about? Was there a particular event in your life that influenced this choice?

“From the age of five or six I had an inexplicable desire for England. At home I had books on the Royals purchased by my parents, as well as tourist guides. I leafed through them, I saw the Queen with the crown, the British style and I read some Agatha Christie stories for children that fascinated me. But the strange thing I felt inside me was a calling, as if something was calling me to GB. One day I told my parents 'one day I will go to the UK and live there', but they took me for a crazy dreamer. Now I've actually lived here for 27 years; I have spent more than a quarter of a century of my life in England and the other years have been spent going back and forth. Then I discovered that a distant ancestor on my father's side had come to Britain in the mid-800th century: perhaps it was he who called me! It was a choice that I would make again a hundred times, despite the great initial difficulties. London and the United Kingdom have changed a lot after Brexit, before it was easy to come and sow an idea, while today, despite always being the city of opportunities, there are a little more obstacles".

How were the first years in London? Did you encounter any difficulties?

“I came from a place like CERN, a scientific environment, so I was 'in a bubble', almost out of touch with the world. I didn't know anyone, the city was huge, but I had clear ideas, developed over time. I wanted to create a company that dealt with tourism and radio broadcast journalism. I never told anyone about it at first. I did any type of job, forgetting my degree in physics and my experience gained in journalism, because I wanted to start from the bottom. And so I did: first I worked in catering, then as a security agent and, during the night, I dedicated myself to studying the market and the business plan, because I wanted to create something of my own. It wasn't easy to show up at the English doors. It wasn't even easy to introduce myself to the Italian ones, who at the beginning (it may seem absurd) slammed the door in my face. I thought that Italians helped each other, but this was not the case. One evening, returning home, I understood that I had to change my mindset, be more determined, impose myself, bring out the 'cazzimma' and become a shark too if I wanted to survive in this new jungle. The project was worth it. And, strengthened by my ideas, I started everything from scratch. Buying myself a pair of new shoes, as if to cover the kilometers that separated me from my goal, that of creating my own company. The biggest difficulty was finding the money, the first investors; I also decided to return to those who had closed the door on me, with whom we are now very good friends (when we think back to our first contact, we now laugh about it). The key wasn't them, but me: we ourselves have the key to achieving everything we want without setting limits. A closed door is not an obstacle, we just need to find the most fragile part of this door and break it down. And so I did. The other difficulty was the search for the headquarters and the people who believed in the project but, little by little, day after day, everything went well, thanks to a wonderful city that has never betrayed me, on the contrary, it has always supported with its nights and its sinuosity where I have often taken refuge".

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The birth of the magazine “L'ItaloEuropeo” dates back to 1998. How did this adventure come to life and how did it manage to become, with this magazine, a point of reference for Italians living in London?

“'L'ItaloEuropeo' was initially a physics blog, where I explained the fundamental concepts to first-year students in a simple way. Then I transformed it into a magazine, due to the desire I had (and still have today) to write down my reflections, ideas, facts and news that I encountered in my life. After which it became a full-fledged news magazine and in London it found its dimension, immediately becoming the first online magazine for the Italian community. The English capital is an infinite source of news, every minute we can make it news, every centimeter of London is news we can write about and learn more about. Then I attended an investigative journalism course at 'The Guardian' and after that I intensified my journalistic work. Even today 'L'ItaloEuropeo', despite the fact that the UK has left Europe, strangely remains a point of reference for many Italians in London and the UK, testimony to the fact that we Italians probably feel Italian and European, despite Brexit".

What are the issues that are of most interest to this target?

“Italians in the United Kingdom want to be informed about concrete things, such as opening a bank account, buying or renting a house, and then political news, news about Italian doctors and lawyers and Italian events in London. The target ranges from 20 to 50 years old, they still want to read a magazine in Italian or listen to an Italian radio; furthermore they want to be updated on everything but also to feel Italian, and to do this the 'L'ItaloEuropeo' platform gives them the idea of ​​feeling at home just like in Italy”.

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In 2014, after a careful study of the history of radio and your potential catchment area, he founded London One Radio. In these ten years, what have been the difficulties and what have been the greatest satisfactions?

“London One Radio'' is the latest project of my company ICS Lts. In 70 years in Great Britain there had never been a 24-hour radio in Italian that broadcast Italian news, music and culture. The first broadcast was made inside an Ikea wardrobe because I didn't have the possibility of a radio studio, my clothes acted as foam, or insulator for the sound. From there began a project that has lasted ten years until today, becoming a great point of reference for Italians throughout England as the only official Italian national radio station in the UK. There have been many difficulties, but never as much as the satisfactions that have given us the strength to still be here today. The first was to explain what an Italian radio in London was. It may seem strange but for Italians Italian radio was in Italy. In GB there was only the BBC. And this also applied to entrepreneurs and investors. The second difficulty was to educate people on an Italian radio in London and in the United Kingdom. Finally, another was to find the money and the location, and to raise the perception of this new reality in people's minds. In other words, to communicate to them that I wasn't joking at all, but I was presenting a never-before-seen, pioneering and futuristic project. A project on which we are still working hard today. The perception is there now, but for me it is not enough, because I want this radio not to end with me, but to continue after me and to be a point of reference for all Italians but also for English people who wish to learn Italian culture. Today we have many listeners both in the UK and from Italy; during COVID, when the Italian nurses called us and said 'thank you for being there and making us smile in this difficult moment', I understood that I was doing the right thing, so I will continue to do radio in the best way possible. I don't care if I make mistakes, because it is precisely from mistakes that we can grow; after all, we are pioneers in this sector, having no Italian radio models to follow in the UK, so if we make a mistake once, we will do better twice afterwards"

Which programs on the schedule are you most fond of?

“London Calling is a historic programme, where many guests come to visit us and, together with them, we talk and explore some topics in depth. But, since the radio is my creation, I am the father of all programs: this means that I like them all, as if they were my children; I cannot be fond of one child yes and another child no, the same principle applies to programs. Every day we try to do our best, also learning from our mistakes; the next day we'll do one thing well, we'll do another wrong, but for me that's fine, the programs are the pillars of our creativity, so I'm fond of them all."

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How do Italians living in London perceive Italy's problems?

“The radio is fundamental in this, because we talk about Italy's problems. Often, regarding certain issues, such as work, Italians in London consider themselves 'lucky' because everyone here works, even if in sectors that they may not initially like. The absence of work, however, is barely perceived here, because if a person wants to work, they work. Sometimes they feel that Italy's problems are far away; after all, many of them have fled Italy precisely because of the country's problems. But you must not think that there are no problems in London and in the UK, they are just spread across the territory in different ways. Italians in London equally encounter the problems of the country in GB, except that the environment, the possibilities and a more streamlined bureaucracy make everything different and manageable. In short, if there is a problem in Italy, for some of the Italians living in London this is of marginal interest. The ugliest thing I noticed? They often criticize their own nation. I have always said that those who emigrate abroad must have a lot of courage, but those who decide to stay must also have it".

How do they feel "away from home"? Are they nostalgic, would they like to return or have they now become "adopted Londoners" like you?

“Italy is always in everyone's hearts. She is our cradle, our homeland. Even those who criticize her because she feels strong in a foreign land, ultimately Italy has it inside her. I am proud to be Italian, our culture, our creativity and our passion are timeless values, they cannot be erased with a trip or with living in another place forever. Only that it is a lifestyle choice; we integrate into English society with Italy in our hearts, bringing our culture and almost always tending to hang out with our compatriots. Indeed, I tell you that being Italian abroad reminds you every day of how lucky you are to be Italian."

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If Philip Baglini Olland had to describe London and the United Kingdom with three adjectives, what would he say?

“Cosmopolitan, iconic, dynamic”.

And what if he were to do the same with Italy?

“Passionate, resilient, wonderful”.

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