By Marco Hugo Barsotti MHB 
Welcome to the media review from Francia24 and Radio Centrale Milano: radio, artificial intelligence, publishing, and large media and finance groups: two news items for each topic.
Radio
Historic NDR antenna dismantled in Hamburg
A piece of Hamburg’s radio and television history is disappearing with the dismantling of the old NDR antenna tower located in Moorfleet. For decades, this 303-meter-high structure was the tallest construction in Hamburg and ensured the transmission of radio and television programs throughout the metropolitan area.
The new tower has already been installed and is one meter taller than its predecessor.
Source: mediumwave.info
BBC reduces analog presence and boosts digital
The BBC will close medium wave transmissions for five local stations, including BBC Radio Cumbria, Derby, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, and Somerset, by the end of November 2026. From January 2027, mergers in evening and weekend programming for BBC Local Radio will follow as part of a £9 million savings plan and the reduction of approximately 90 roles. Additionally, in the spring of 2027, linear versions of BBC Three, BBC Scotland, and Radio 4 Extra will end, with content moving to digital platforms such as iPlayer, BBC Sounds, and YouTube.
The strategy aims to concentrate distribution on digital, despite the British emergency plan inviting families to own a battery-powered FM receiver to handle blackouts, cyberattacks, or disasters. The BBC ensures that local news, weekday daytime programming, and sports coverage will remain unchanged.
Source: Newslinet
Artificial Intelligence
Google threatens to remove search engine from schools
Google has announced that schools that decide to block its new artificial intelligence tools will lose access to its search engine. According to Chris Phillips, Google’s Vice President for Education, school administrators will be able to manage access to Gemini products, making them inactive for K-12 student accounts until administrators explicitly activate them.
The decision has sparked strong criticism among parents and teachers in the United States. A father of two in Virginia described Google’s threat as nothing less than extortion, expressing concern about the potential weakening of critical thinking. Some educators have suggested using alternative search engines or academic databases, while others believe schools should instead teach students how to use artificial intelligence responsibly.
Source: The Guardian
Chatbots and mental health: the study on GPT-4.1 reflexivity
A study led by Stefano Epifani examined the ability of GPT-4.1 to organize narrative profiles based on dialogues in Italian. Five psychiatrists evaluated 50 interactions, assigning average scores between 3.63 and 3.98 out of five. The authors define this ability as “algorithmic reflexivity,” as the organization of discourse imitates the way people reason about mental states, although it does not imply a real inner experience of the machine.
Experts found a good ability of the model to distinguish viewpoints and connect emotions and thoughts. However, a limit emerges in linking experience and context, where the score drops to 3.63. The authors specify that linguistic coherence does not measure diagnosis or therapeutic efficacy and warn that the fluidity of the text can create a false impression of emotional understanding.
Source: AI4Business
Publishing and Large Media Groups
Andy Burnham changes communication strategy toward social media
Andy Burnham has declared that traditional media are less relevant and that the world is no longer like that, preferring to interact with influencers, podcasters, and through social media. During the CHOGM summit, the Prime Minister traveled without the usual escort of journalists, facing only seven and a half minutes of questions through two brief interventions on the BBC. Downing Street maintains that this is not about avoiding public scrutiny, citing previous interviews and recent encounters with the press.
However, some observers fear that this choice could reduce journalistic criticism. A former media consultant warned that if the press feels excluded, it will react strongly. MP Liz Jarvis also observed that, despite Burnham’s oratorical skill, the Prime Minister will not be able to avoid media scrutiny forever once the initial period of his government ends.
Source: The Guardian
SiriusXM, Anjali Sud becomes new CEO
Anjali Sud, current CEO of Tubi, has been appointed the new CEO of SiriusXM effective January 1st, replacing Jennifer Witz. Sud, who has been a board member since 2025, will bring her experience in digital media and streaming after leading Tubi’s growth to over 110 million monthly users. She was previously CEO of Vimeo and worked at Amazon and Time Warner.
SiriusXM Chairman Greg Maffei stated that Sud has built some of the most effective entertainment platforms and that her business knowledge will allow for continuity in the company’s strategy. Maffei also thanked Witz for her six-year leadership, during which she consolidated the subscription model and built one of the country’s leading podcast networks.
Source: Deadline
Finance
Berkshire Hathaway accelerates stock buybacks in the third quarter
The conglomerate led by Greg Abel accelerated its stock buybacks during the third quarter, investing $9.6 billion. This figure is more than double the $4.5 billion recorded in the second quarter, bringing the total buybacks for 2026 to approximately $14.4 billion.
This decision comes as operating profits fell 5.8% compared to the previous year, totaling $12.705 billion. The decline is mainly due to the insurance sector, with underwriting profits falling 43% to $1.352 billion and insurance investment income falling 14% to $2.734 billion. Overall profits fell 28%, standing at $22.112 billion.
Source: CNBC
Radio Nizza and Francia24
You can find all news related to Nice and the French Riviera on radionizza.it
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Closing.
Online, on BlueSky and Mastodon, on all smart speakers, and on medium waves, this is the media review from Francia24 and Radio Centrale Milano.
And now for our French-speaking listeners, a brief recap of today’s news in French.
Dans l’actualité radiophonique, le démantèlement de l’antenne historique de 303 mètres du NDR à Hambourg laisse place à une nouvelle structure légèrement plus haute, tandis que la BBC entame une transition numérique majeure en fermant ses émissions en ondes moyennes de cinq stations locales d’ici fin novembre 2026, un plan d’économie de 9 millions de livres prévoyant aussi la réduction de 90 postes. Concernant l’intelligence artificielle, Google menace de couper l’accès à son moteur de recherche aux écoles qui bloqueraient ses outils Gemini, une décision critiquée aux États-Unis, alors qu’une étude menée par Stefano Epifani révèle que le modèle GPT-4.1 démontre une certaine réflexivité algorithmique capable d’imiter le raisonnement humain dans les dialogues, malgré des limites de contexte. Dans le secteur des médias, Andy Burnham délaisse les médias traditionnels au profit des réseaux sociaux et des influenceurs, une stratégie qui suscite des inquiétudes sur la réduction du contrôle journalistique, tandis qu’Anjali Sud, ancienne dirigeante de Tubi, prendra la tête de SiriusXM le 1er janvier prochain. Enfin, sur le plan financier, le conglomérat Berkshire Hathaway dirigé par Greg Abel a accéléré ses rachats d’actions avec 9,6 milliards de dollars investis au troisième trimestre, malgré une baisse de 28 % de ses bénéfices globaux qui s’établissent à 22,112 milliards de dollars.
Sign-off.
Online, on X and Mastodon, on all smart speakers and on medium wave, this is FranciaOggi with Centrale Milano 1575 kilohertz.
Source: AudioVisione – AM 1575 News