As artificial intelligence tools continue to improve, the radio industry has warmed considerably to the technology once considered an existential threat. For a format so steeped in authenticity, it’s a delicate game for Country Program Directors to play.
In the upcoming CRS issue of Radio Ink Magazine – out Monday – we delve into how the Top Country Radio PDs in America view AI’s role at their stations, from idea generation to creative support – and where they draw the line.
The use, and usefulness, of AI underwent significant changes in 2024. Have you changed your perspective on AI? Are you using it in programming?
“Yes, I think AI is a great place to start. It gives you a lot of ideas for imaging starters, topics for morning show discussion, and maybe new ways to re-word promos. It’s like having a writer’s room. Now, it RARELY writes anything brilliant, but sometimes it’s a short trip from AI to really creative.”
“AI is an interesting concept. If we use it as a tool – not a substitution for talent – it can help grow us personally and professionally. We do have some staff members who use ChatGPT to get teases or to break a creative slump, but I don’t want to become too dependent on it. Just like anything with technology: if we use it as a tool, we can build bigger. If we use it as a base, we stay flat.”
“For synthesizing data, AI’s been somewhat useful in whittling down long articles into bite-size blurbs. But AI voices are, and will always be, an emphatic “no” for me. Never mind that the current quality just isn’t good enough to convince the audience into believing that it’s from a real person. But even if it was (or one day will be) good enough, the moment a listener learns that the voice coming out of their speakers isn’t someone they can meet in person and shake their hand or physically engage with face-to-face, they’re going to feel deceived. No one likes being lied to, especially by a friend. And isn’t that what we’re attempting to do & be? A friend that each listener will want to spend as much time as possible with? The key to radio’s long-term success is – and will always be – live, human on-air talent. Real people creating real moments that listeners really don’t want to miss.”
See what all our Top Country PDs said in the annual CRS issue of Radio Ink Magazine on Monday. Subscribe to our revamped print edition, digital edition, or both – click here.
