The uses of tools in radio that are built around artificial intelligence are evolving rapidly. With that in mind, I checked back in with Erica Dreyer, director of integrated media for NRG Media.
You may recall that early last year, Dreyer and several of her colleagues gave Radio World readers an informative look into the various ways their company was using AI including spec spots, promotional videos, radio copy creation, show prep, developing prospect lists and hosting a show. You can read that here.
In preparing Radio World’s latest ebook on these trends, I reached back out to this early AI adopter.
Radio World: Erica, since we spoke last, how has NRG’s use of AI evolved?
Erica Dreyer: When we were first featured in Radio World, AI was something we were just beginning to explore. Since then, our use has grown in both scope and confidence.
More teams are incorporating AI into their daily work, across both creative and operational tasks. From idea generation and voice cloning to meeting transcription and data analysis, these tools open up new creative possibilities and help us bring ideas to life in ways that weren’t practical before.
I’ve reached out to team members across our markets, and one thing is clear: AI has matured, and so has our approach. It’s not replacing our thinking, it’s helping us bring better ideas to life with more speed, variety and clarity.
Across markets, more employees are using AI for a wider range of tasks. We’re seeing growth not just in the number of tools but in how deeply they’re embedded in our workflows.
For example, production teams are using AI voice models to add variety to spec spots and commercials; sales teams are using AI to research prospects more efficiently and speed up the creation of visuals and sales materials; and meeting recaps and searchability are handled through tools like Fathom. What started as a few isolated use cases is now a distributed practice across departments.
In my role supporting teams across multiple markets, I’ve used AI to recap meetings, analyze Google Analytics for actionable insights, and organize client testimonials in ways that help us tell better stories. It’s also helped me shift time away from repetitive tasks and toward more strategic, creative thinking.
RW: NRG was experimenting then with AI Tori, a synthetic talent heard overnights on KFMW “Rock 108” in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, created with Futuri AudioAI. What have you learned?
Dreyer: Our Russ Mottla shares that AI Tori has since expanded to cover weekend mornings and overnights. She even has a sponsor now.
Russ told me, “The client loves Tori and has sponsored her weekend shows, where Tori gives clever sponsorship announcements like: ‘I’m AI Tori and today’s show is sponsored by Midwest Shooting. Guns won’t fill the emptiness in your soul — you will also need some ammo!’”
Russ also shared that they’ve used AI to write promos, create parody songs and isolate instrumental or vocal stems from core artists, giving them more flexibility when building show content and station imaging.
RW: You also were creating create video spec spots using Waymark’s platform.
Dreyer: Andrew Warner is our digital sales specialist in Wisconsin, supporting teams in Rhinelander and Wausau. I consistently see his market leading the way each month as the top user of Waymark. I reached out to him for more info.
“We’re absolutely still using Waymark to create video spec spots,” he said. “It continues to be a key part of our workflow. The platform allows us to quickly generate customized, high-quality video concepts that help clients visualize how they could show up on streaming TV. It’s a powerful conversation starter and helps bridge the gap between idea and execution. We can usually turn around a spec within a day or so, and that speed is a huge value-add for both our team and our clients.”
RW: Are any of the video spots actually aired as created in the AI, or is it limited to spec spots?
Dreyer: Andrew said that while many videos start as specs, quite a few do end up airing with minimal changes, especially for businesses that need something turnkey and affordable.
“Waymark’s templates are flexible and professional enough that clients often say, ‘This works — let’s run it.’ In other cases, the spec is a springboard that inspires a more customized production,” he told me. “Either way, it shortens the creative development cycle and helps campaigns get to market faster.”
RW: Are you also doing audio spec spots, and if so with what tool?
Dreyer: Markets across NRG use Creative Ready’s Spec-Mate AI.
Austin Michael, our production director in Lincoln, said: “When writing scripts, I like to do it myself. But I have found that having AI generate a few different scripts can be helpful as a starting off point. Sometimes it will give me a new or different perspective on how to approach the message. Sales gets pretty good use out of it in creating spec scripts.”
He said it’s the AI voices that have had more impact on how and what he does.
“It has increased my ability to produce spots with more variety, more quickly, and more specifically. I know, ‘specifically’ is an odd term here.”
Austin said he’s part of a large group of producers around the country that is a voice-sharing network. “We send mass emails or direct messages asking for help reading spots. We do it for each other for free. There are times you don’t get the voice you’re looking for or the delivery. We also share voice work within NRG Media, but it can be limited by time and availability.”
With AI and cloned voices, he can read a spot the way he wants it read or acted, upload it to the site, and change it to the voice he chooses.
“The only person I need to direct is myself — and I already know what I ‘specifically’ want. Then I can choose a specific voice. There are about 10 spots airing on our stations right now that are female voices, but I, a guy, read them. There are spots that have four or five characters in them, all different voices, ages and genders, each one voiced by me.”
RW: We also wrote at the time that AI tools were being used for radio copy creation, show prep, developing prospect lists, creating websites and writing “valid business reason” emails. Which tools have you found to be most effective?
Dreyer: Jeff Ulrich, our integrated media specialist who supports sales efforts across NRG, uses Perplexity Pro and ChatGPT side by side.
He shared that AI tools have become a key part of how he researches prospects, gathers insights quickly and tailors materials for client conversations. He also uses them to:
- Develop custom CNA questions based on industry content
- Generate voiceover scripts, visual personas and creative ideas for proposals
- Animate still photos for AI-generated video content using tools like Google Veo 2
- Recap calls and meetings through Otter.ai
- Produce AI voiceovers using Fish Audio
Mike Waters, morning show host on KOKZ, has been using ChatGPT since it launched.
He says, “I’ve become increasingly more impressed over the last two to three years. The images really stand out, and the creativity I’ve seen when asking for help with attitude liners and phone topics has been very helpful.”
Mike primarily uses ChatGPT to develop visuals and write liners for his show but also experiments with Parrot AI to bring in celebrity-style voices.
“Morgan Freeman has become my co-host on Wednesdays, oddly enough. Elton John comes in sporadically as well. My only complaint is there aren’t quite enough of the type of celebrities I can use.”
RW: You also were expanding your use of Scribe to create step-by-step guides.
Dreyer: We still use Scribe, especially when rolling out new processes or creating quick-reference guides for teammates. But in my day-to-day, I’ve found more consistent value in Fathom. It records Zoom calls, summarizes key points and lets me search across meetings by keyword. I rarely take handwritten notes — Fathom saves time and helps make sure nothing gets missed. Because we’re in meetings daily, it’s become one of my go-to tools.
RW: What else have you discovered about AI-based tools (specific products, or in general) that others might find interesting?
Dreyer: Andrew Warner said the most interesting development has been how AI tools are turning into creative collaborators, not just productivity boosters. They’re helping with ideation, campaign naming, strategic messaging — giving us a faster path to better ideas.
Mike Waters noted how far the tools have come in just a couple years. “I started using ChatGPT when it launched, and the creativity I’ve seen lately — especially in writing and visual generation — is miles ahead,” he said.
Jeff Ulrich’s ability to combine tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT to create highly tailored sales tools, visual persona and even video with AI motion effects shows just how far this can go with the right prompts and experimentation.
What continues to impress me most, Paul, is how our teams across markets are exploring these tools in ways that make sense for them — whether it’s streamlining a workflow, unlocking creativity or enhancing a client pitch. Everyone’s experimenting, learning and finding what sticks. I love that we work for a company that not only supports that mindset but encourages it. It’s that culture of curiosity and adaptability that keeps us moving forward.
A new Radio World ebook explores how these and other technologies based in AI are being deployed across radio.
[Read More Radio World Stories About Artificial Intelligence]
