Berlusconi's fiercest critics dropped by national television

Two of Italy's top television anchors, who are known for their criticism of the Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, have had their programmes pulled from the state broadcaster RAI's autumn schedules.

Michele Santoro and Enzo Biagi were accused by Mr Berlusconi in April of making "criminal use of public television". He told the RAI "not to allow this to happen again".

When the new TV schedules were released over the weekend, opposition politicians denounced the decision to pull the hard-hitting programmes, accusing Mr Berlusconi of carrying out his veiled threat to purge the station of critics.

In May, the Prime Minister's influence was suspected when the government asked that the two journalists' programmes be suspended in the run-up to local elections. Now they seem to have been axed for good.

RAI management claimed poor ratings were behind the decision, but opposition MPs accused Mr Berlusconi of carrying out his plan to get rid of the left-wing presenters. "It's a shame if they think they'll drive out different opinions," said Francesco Rutelli, leader of the centre-left opposition coalition. "But it'll backfire, because the Italian people are mature."

Mr Berlusconi has denied issuing any kind of proscription list. He said: "It is quite understandable that with new management a new editorial line should arrive."

There is growing concern in Italy at the extent of the Prime Minister's influence on the media. His government, as is traditional, appointed RAI's management, and Mr Berlusconi's own company, Mediaset, owns three national TV channels, giving him control of 90 per cent of national broadcasting.

To alleviate criticism, the government recently proposed setting up two anti-trust bodies to monitor conflicts of interest, but the opposition has maintained that these would be weak and ineffective.

Santoro has been compared with the BBC's Jeremy Paxman . His programme Sciuscia is Italy's most controversial and provocative. A mix of documentary, debate and satire it has investigated the alleged Mafia connections of one of Mr Berlusconi's closest associates. Biagi is a veteran commentator who presents the political programme Il Fatto.

A member of the RAI watchdog and opposition MP, Gloria Buffo, said: "RAI is being transformed from a company of public service into a business of private service working for the political interests of Berlusconi and for the economic interests of Berlusconi and Mediaset."

The head of the journalists' union, Paolo Serventi Longhi, said: "There is the legitimate suspicion that for a personal reason, or because of his private and political interests, the head of the government directed the directors of RAI to throw out Biagi and Santoro."