Artificial intelligence got a double feature at NAB Show 2025 on Monday, as industry leaders tackled how the technology is transforming everything from local journalism and syndication to marketing strategies and internal operations across two key sessions.
A consistent message emerged: AI is no longer an emerging trend. It is a current force that demands immediate strategic attention.
At the Alliance for Women in Media breakfast, The Weiss Agency President Heather Cohen moderated a panel exploring AI’s impact on broadcasting. Former Audacy COO Susan Larkin opened the discussion by highlighting AI’s potential to help localize syndicated content. “You cut all of it tomorrow. And yeah, actually you can. And it’s going to affect revenue. But the reality is there is real opportunity there,” Larkin said, underscoring AI’s role in tailoring national programming for individual markets.
Graham Media Group Chief Innovation Officer Stephanie Slagle shared how AI tools are streamlining newsroom workflows, freeing up reporters to spend more time in the field. She emphasized that AI integration can significantly improve audience engagement by cutting down on technical bottlenecks. “If I can give them that two hours back and repurpose that newsroom, I can have more people out engaging with our community,” Slagle said. She cited semantic search tools that allow journalists to instantly retrieve archival footage as a major advancement.
Addressing legal and ethical issues, Gray Media Assistant General Counsel and Senior Technology Counsel Claire Ferguson stressed the importance of proactive AI policies. Ferguson cautioned broadcasters about the challenges of copyright protections for AI-generated content. “What AI generates cannot be protectable unless there’s a lot of human involvement,” she said, warning that stations must carefully manage how AI is used to avoid legal vulnerabilities.
Rounding out the conversation, Google Cloud Global Lead for Entertainment Industry Solutions Buzz Hays focused on preserving the role of human creativity within AI-driven workflows. Hays pointed to the risk of letting administrative tasks sap creative energy and positioned AI as a tool for protecting creative focus. “Anything in your workflow that has a progress bar is a perfect opportunity for AI to fix the problem,” Hays said, urging companies to view AI as an enabler, not a replacement.
Later in the day, the panel AI in Action: Practical Applications for Radio and Podcasts provided a ground-level view of how broadcasters are implementing AI today. Moderated by Ordo Digital Founder Jon Accarrino, the panel featured Spanish Broadcasting System Corporate Vice President of Digital Sales and Strategy Dara Kalvort and John Parikhal, President of John Parikhal + Associates.
Kalvort offered practical insights into how her company is using AI to meet the demands of a multilingual audience, relying on tools like DeepL for translation and Waymark for video production. “Now Google Translate does a much better job. There’s something else out there now called DeepL. DeepL is excellent because it’s more about the quality versus the quantity,” Kalvort said.
She emphasized the importance of prompt engineering to maintain brand authenticity, warning that generic outputs can damage a station’s voice if not properly guided. “You have to really know who the brand is and what it is that they’re trying to convey in your tone,” Kalvort said.
Parikhal added a note of caution, pointing out that AI’s value depends heavily on the human strategy behind it. “Without a strategy, it’s a big issue. I can’t say it enough,” he said. Parikhal also flagged the rise of “AI slop” — low-quality, templated content — and warned that while AI-generated material can sound convincing, audiences increasingly demand disclosure and authenticity.
Kalvort shared real-world success stories, including using AI-driven audience insights to turn a $50,000 local campaign into a $1.5 million partnership for a telecommunications client. AI is also enhancing internal efficiency at Spanish Broadcasting System, with tools like Gemini streamlining communications and presentation preparation.
Both Kalvort and Parikhal urged broadcasters to embrace AI experimentation without losing sight of creativity and brand voice. “You’ve got to start playing with it like a child,” Parikhal said. Kalvort added, “Start to play around with it, start to get comfortable with it, and then start moving on with it. Efficiency is so important today.”
Don’t miss Dara Kalvort at “Prompt & Circumstance: A.I. Prompt Crafting 101 for Radio Salespeople,” a free, live Radio Ink Radio Masters Sales Series webinar on Wednesday, April 16, at noon Eastern. Learn how to craft smarter AI prompts to boost your sales results with insights from Dara and Jacobs Media’s Chris Brunt.
