We live in an AI world now, but though the trend has made plenty of headlines, Chris Brunt thinks we might be surprised to learn just how many radio broadcasters are already using AI in their workflows.
Brunt is director of AI, digital and revenue generation at Jacobs Media, which he joined last winter. He sees the development of AI technologies as a natural stepping stone for broadcasters. We’re surrounded by AI applications that can perform more and more of the tasks needed to create radio, and experts like Brunt see the industry edging closer to content generation that can be trusted and integrated into day-to-day workflow at stations.
Brunt’s broadcast background in digital roles at Beasley Media and Greater Media provides him insight on using AI in a radio environment. Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs said of him, “Chris is like the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of digital — he’s a revenue generation expert, and he understands everything from programming to programmatic.”
Brunt writes a newsletter for Jacobs Media called “The A.I. Edge.” He’s also in demand at regional and state trade shows. He’ll give presentations at the Nebraska Broadcasters Association’s convention in August and a Michigan Association of Broadcasters leadership conference that same month.
Radio World him Brunt about the industry’s AI-influenced transformation and whether AI can help lift radio to greater relevance for radio listeners.
Radio World: Should we be surprised at the rapidity with which broadcasters are adopting AI?
Chris Brunt: No. But from what we are seeing from our clients and across the industry, there is still a wide spectrum of AI usage. There are clusters of stations where use of AI is minimal, but there are other groups where it is widespread.
There might be places where there is a no AI policy and employees are using it on their personal devices. It’s all over the board and hasn’t coalesced; there is a lot of curiosity and a lot of opportunity.
RW: Audacy and Beasley have been open about using AI to assist with workflow. Is it safe to say that all of the major groups are using it in their workflows in some form?
Brunt: It depends on a company’s corporate policy and the legal guidance it is receiving, but usage doesn’t seem to be contained to just the large broadcasters. AI usage doesn’t appear to be limited to large- or small-market broadcasters, given the proliferation of the technology and low price point of some of the tools, with some of it even being free. We’re seeing programming and sales staff using generative text service to create copy and create a spot or use it for imaging.
RW: There are AI tools for so many purposes now. How do you suggest stations approach their use?
Brunt: If a broadcaster isn’t using AI at all or has no official policy, they need one. Our recommendation is to start purposely but judiciously. They have to figure out what tools are the lowest risk and figure out what you want it to help with. Is it brainstorming a spring promotion or do you want it to help write commercial copy?
Companies need to implement AI training for employees so that they can not only become skilled in the tools that will accelerate their growth and productivity, but also so they know the risks that come with the unbridled use of the technology. You want to make sure the tools you are using are not going to divulge confidential information about the station or a client.
We know that across all industries — not just broadcasting — employees are experimenting with AI regardless of their companies’ AI policies. So it’s important that employees know those risks, which include potential use of uploaded data for the training of AI models, copyright and intellectual property issues, and hallucinations that could disseminate false information.
Broadcasters also need to make sure that if they are using AI for creating on-air content, it needs human eyes on it to make sure the content isn’t hallucinating and disseminating wrong information or at worst harmful information.
RW: It’s easy to understand why the unlimited creativity aspect of generative AI is so intriguing, and as you mentioned the entry price is relatively low.
Brunt: That is correct. An ElevenLabs voice subscription is pretty cheap. When a production director has copy coming in late on a Friday and you need a female voice and none is available, you can use ElevenLabs and get a decent spot.
RW: There are AI platforms for writing and even reporting news. There are certainly legal implications to using AI. Should its use be labeled?
Brunt: We are seeing that happen now with social media platforms tagging AI content. There is the back and forth between the FCC and the Federal Election Commission about having broadcasters label political ads if they are AI-generated. There will be a lot of discussions among the lawyers over this and hopefully broadcasters won’t be caught in the middle.
However, there will be a growing acceptance level with AI and broadcast. Based on our research and Jacobs Media Techsurveys, listeners are becoming more aware and more open to AI. The relationship radio has with its audience it’s incumbent on them not to mislead them.
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RW: That brings up the transparency issue.
Brunt: Those radio stations using an AI Ashley or an AI Allie are being careful to label them as such to preserve their relationship and authenticity with their audience.
We recommend to our clients that no piece of AI content gets distributed without human eyes on it beforehand. There is such a broad spectrum of AI usage now. If you have an AI voice on the air that is completely synthetic, that is completely different from using AI as a prompt to write some commercial copy.
RW: You spent a number of years in programming and digital sales. How does that help you in this job, dealing with AI issues?
Brunt: It helps to know the pressure program directors are under to create great content every day. Everyone is wearing a lot of hats and there is pressure to deliver a good quality product. AI is going to help improve the product through better research and enhanced content.
RW: You blogged recently about the impact Apple Intelligence could someday have on radio.
Brunt: Yes, when you analyze where Apple is going with its AI, when AI hits all of these iPhones, you can imagine what it might be like. AI is going to be integrated and seamless across all of the Apple native apps that will become a part of everyone’s lives. Radio can learn from that and how they are approaching concerns over privacy.
Broadcasters will be able to use the technology for salespeople to prospect and prioritize their workload. I think we will see a complete overhaul of the workflow in the business world and that will include the radio side.
RW: Ultimately, how beneficial will AI be to broadcasters?
Brunt: I think it is going to give broadcasters a chance to create more custom content for audiences, and more custom targeted ad campaigns for clients. That’s the ultimate scenario.
Clearly customization of content will be a key development. Similar to how NBC/Peacock is using AI this summer at the Olympics to customize its highlight coverage using the voice of Al Michaels. It’s “AI Al” coming to your phone and tablet with sports highlights. The use of AI to clone voices and likenesses is the next big thing. Radio can be at the center of that and use it to deepen its relationship with its audience. That could raise its visibility in the media landscape if the industry can get it right.
Obviously the growth rate for AI is increasing quickly. I think it is going to be important for everyone to at least have some curiosity about AI and to keep learning about it. If you are not following it closely or using it, you can bet the competition will be. And competition goes beyond other broadcasters.
This competition is self-service Facebook platforms, and self-service Tik Tok advertising platforms, and the digital realm. The expectation is that most everyone is going to be using AI if they are not already.
You can subscribe to Jacobs Media’s The A.I. Edge newsletter at jacobsmedia.com.
Learn more about how radio stations are deploying AI tools in the Radio World ebook “Artificial Intelligence in Radio” at radioworld.com/ebooks.
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