In the 90's I was probably reading mostly Italian newspapers since I was living there (even though I had an internet connection, I didn't really use it for getting the latest news, I was mostly active in forums related to my hobbies etc.). It wasn't until the early aughts that I started reading a lot of news in English. And I went English-only even later than that, around 2009 when I left Italy. So I haven't had a chance to experience what you are describing.