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
Radio Situation in Caracas
Radio broadcasts in Caracas are experiencing serious interruptions. The stations 910 R Center, 1200 R Tiempo, and 1490 R Dinamic are currently out of service or without audio. The station 670 R Rumbos, which had been offline for several days last week, is back in operation.
According to Ruud from Radio Paradijs, Rumbos reports broader news that could irritate the authorities, dealing with topics related to opposition leader Machado and the Foro Penal. The radio also reports problems regarding food and water, in addition to power outages reported while writing.
Source: mediumwave.info
Broadcaster Reform, Agcom Starts Consultation for New Requirements
The Communications Authority has launched a public consultation on resolution 247/26/CONS for a reorganization intended to impact media services and LCN numbering. The proposal includes stricter requirements for television broadcasters: commercial companies are required to have a capital of at least 155,000 euros and a presence of at least four employees. For local community providers, the requirement is at least one staff member and a non-profit status. In case of loss of requirements, broadcasters must regularize their position within three months and inform the Ministry within the following thirty days.
The new scheme also regulates IP transmission: the DTT authorization will cover its own schedule, but hosting third-party content will require new titles and the management of dedicated numbering. Instructor contributions will increase, going from 250 to 2,000 euros for community providers and to 4,000 euros for local authorizations. The deadline for submitting observations is set for December 18, 2026.
Source: Newslinet
Artificial Intelligence
The Rise of Dog-Shaped Robots
In San Francisco, the startup Dimensional is paying 20 dollars an hour to walk robotic dogs in order to collect data for operating systems that can integrate with artificial intelligence agents. Although the founder of Dimensional claims these machines will help people, for example by carrying groceries, ICE has planned to spend up to 2 million dollars on Boston Dynamics robots.
The sector is expanding toward bioengineering with the startup Warhound, which aims to create genetically modified dogs equipped with advanced cybernetic enhancements, software, and battlefield situational awareness. Palmer Luckey, founder of the weapons company Anduril, stated in 2024 that societies have always needed a class of warriors enthusiastic about exercising violence against others for noble purposes, declaring himself a person willing to create tools of violence to preserve freedom.
Source: The Guardian
OpenAI Integrates Artificial Intelligence into Industrial Design
OpenAI is introducing models like GPT-6 Astra into the design of physical objects, from electronic circuits to automobiles. One experiment allowed for the design of a device in less than a week, although BenchCAD 2.0 tests highlighted assembly errors and incorrect measurements. An unreleased internal model reportedly reached 0.875 points compared to Astra’s 0.594.
Collaborations are already active: with Mazda to explore aerodynamic shapes and crash safety, while working with Chip Ganassi Racing on converting 3D scans into CAD models. According to Akihiro Nakata, principal engineer at Mazda, simulations help designers understand which geometric features influence the final result.
Source: AI4Business
Publishing and Large Media Groups
Broadcasters: The Growing Importance of Content Creators
According to Josh Barnett, CEO of After Party Studios (APS), traditional broadcasters today need content creators more than the reverse. The production company, supported by Elisabeth Murdoch’s media company Sister Group, reflects the breakdown of the television model caused by talents such as YouTuber KSI or Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, who are capable of attracting millions of views.
While television faces staff cuts and audience migration toward YouTube and TikTok, creators can now produce content independently without waiting for a commission from large networks. Ben Doyle, executive creative director, observes that the most interesting innovations are born from the union of these two worlds, while Barnett states that brands are trying to win over audiences through new digital talents.
Source: The Guardian
Media and Control, British Government Examines Sky-ITV Acquisition
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has asked two authorities to submit the acquisition between Sky and ITV to a formal review, a 1.6 billion pound operation. Nandy has asked Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority to present their reports by January 27, before deciding whether to subject the deal to a more detailed investigation by the CMA. The Secretary has issued a public interest intervention notice (PIIN) and will report to Parliament at the beginning of next year.
Nandy’s intervention concerns areas of concern including the need for freedom of expression of opinions in news media, the need for sufficient plurality of views in news media in every market, and the availability across the UK of a wide range of television programs, on-demand or both. The Secretary has also announced the intention to introduce legislation to update rules to include streaming. The operation involves Sky, controlled by Comcast, and ITV, the country’s oldest commercial broadcaster.
Source: Deadline
Finance
OpenAI and the Risk of a Sector Collapse
According to Ed Zitron, the artificial intelligence industry is facing an imminent crisis as capital begins to run low. OpenAI recently raised 11 billion dollars at a valuation of 1.25 trillion dollars, a figure lower than initial plans and insufficient to cover even a quarter of the company’s computing costs. Zitron argues that this operation may indicate a form of desperation to remain competitive against Anthropic, which is preparing for an IPO estimated between 1.4 and 1.5 trillion dollars.
The analyst observes that the sector is characterized by enormous costs and slowly growing revenues. Zitron states that OpenAI must now aim for future valuations between 2 and 3 trillion dollars to guarantee returns to investors. While Anthropic faces the risk of a ‘junk’ type valuation, Zitron believes that the need to raise hundreds of billions of dollars to sustain infrastructure spending casts serious doubt on the economic sustainability of this business model.
Source: Ed Zitron, Where’s Your Ed At
Blackstone: More Equity Capital Needed for Artificial Intelligence
Blackstone President Jon Gray has stated that building infrastructure for artificial intelligence will require more financing through equity capital. During the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, Gray explained that the scale of required capital is creating concentration risks for debt investors, who have potentially limited profits compared to shareholders.
Pimco CEO Emmanuel Roman warned that AI spending could reach 10 trillion dollars in the next five years, with 550 billion dollars of AI-linked debt already issued this year. According to Roman, the required amount will be “gigantic” compared to the global corporate bond market of approximately 20 trillion dollars. A Goldman Sachs report indicates that global demand for data centers will require approximately 8.5 trillion dollars in capital expenditures over the next five years.
Source: CNBC
Radio Nizza and Francia24
You can find all news related to Nice and the Côte d’Azur at radionizza.it
You can find all news related to France at francia24.com and franciaoggi.com
Closing.
Online, on BlueSky and Mastodon, on all smart speakers, and on the 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.
À Caracas, les ondes sont perturbées par de graves interruptions sur plusieurs stations comme R Center, Tiempo et Dinamic, tandis que la station Rumbos a repris son émission malgré des sujets sensibles liés à l’opposition et des pénuries locales. En Italie, l’Agcom lance une consultation pour réformer les services de médias avec des exigences de capital plus strictes pour les émetteurs commerciaux et de nouvelles règles pour la diffusion par IP. Dans le secteur de l’intelligence artificielle, la startup Dimensional teste des chiens robots à San Francisco, tandis que Warhound développe des chiens génétiquement modifiés pour le combat, et OpenAI intègre désormais ses modèles, comme GPT-6 Astra, dans la conception industrielle avec des partenaires comme Mazda. Concernant les médias, le secteur de la production voit une montée en puissance des créateurs de contenu face à la télévision traditionnelle, tandis qu’en Angleterre, le gouvernement examine l’acquisition de 1,6 milliard de livres entre Sky et ITV pour garantir la pluralité des opinions. Enfin, sur le plan financier, l’industrie de l’intelligence artificielle fait face à des défis de rentabilité, OpenAI ayant levé 11 milliards de dollars face à une demande de capital immense, tandis que les experts de Blackstone et Pimco alertent sur les besoins colossaux, pouvant atteindre 10 billions de dollars, pour construire les infrastructures nécessaires à cette nouvelle technologie.
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