Artificial Radio Hosts Are Here
Also, a newspaper launches a nightly TV show, and Genesis releases a disappointing boxed-set
THE LEDE
THE FIRST AI-RADIO HOSTS ARE HERE: Artificial intelligence is having a swift and massive impact on the communications business. Media tech company Futuri has announced its rollout of RadioGPT, which will present the audience with the first 100% AI-powered local radio hosts.
The company recognizes this won’t be popular with everyone, and wrote on LinkedIn:
While the reaction has been mixed, we think this innovation will revolutionize the radio industry. AI-powered radio hosts have the potential to bring live and local radio to every air shift in every city…
If the responses on LinkedIn are anything to go by, there are some angry radio people:
“Marginalizing talented individuals isn’t something worth celebrating. It’s kinda cringy.”
“This will cut hundreds if not thousands of talented radio hosts jobs. I'm sorry, but I can't get behind a company that does this to my colleagues and will be dropping all Futuri products we currently use moving forward.”
But there are people also defending the move, saying it’s inevitable and will give the smaller local stations more ability to report on their communities.
You can listen to RadioGPT online now. The voices aren’t bad. They’re a little stilted, but I suspect that will improve.
NEWS AND NOTES
NEWS CHANNEL BUILDS AUDIENCE WITH APP: NewsNation, the Nexstar news and entertainment channel, is now available via an app. You still need a subscription through your cable company, but the channel is now portable and included in many basic cable packages.
For those new to Newsnation, it claims 70 million subscribers, and positions itself as neutral:
Validated by independent watchdog groups, NewsNation is America’s source for engaging and unbiased news, which reflects the full range of perspectives across the country.
A little cable TV history: Newsnation started as Superstation WGN which was a broadcast channel based in Chicago. It was early into the cable biz, taking its channel national in 1978.
If you want to find out if you qualify, check out this page.
BOSTON GLOBE LAUNCHES TV SHOW: The Boston Globe is launching a news and sports magazine program, as it makes a big move into TV. “Boston Globe Today” will air Monday through Friday at 5pm ET on NESN, the channel best known for carrying Red Sox and Bruins games. John Henry, owner of the Boston Globe, also owns NESN so this is a natural partnership. The show will also be available on the Globe’s website.
TOP PODCASTS: Podtrac is out with its list of top podcasts for February, 2023. The top three are “The Daily,” “Dateline NBC” and NPR’s “Up First.”
LINKS AND LIKES
GREAT QUOTE: Medhi Hasan of NBC News has written a book called "Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking." Mehti believes debate is an important tool in learning. Here’s a great quote from Ken Haemer, design expert, on creating a presentation with impact:
“Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it ‘to whom it may concern.’”
Isn’t that perfect? How many generic presentations have you sat through? To be persuasive, you need to customize your presentation.
GENESIS BOX SET FALLS SHORT: Those of you who know me know that I’m a Genesis nut. The band announced its dissolution last year, after 50 years making music. This week, the band put out a boxed set: “Genesis BBC Broadcasts.”
It is as advertised - five discs of live performances the band broadcast on the BBC. If you’re a Genesis completionist, I say get it. However, I am annoyed it is only available on CD and LP. Who has disc players anymore? I had to “rip” my CDs with an external drive, and the results were not great. The set is not available on streaming services, so you’re forced to buy it on these dated formats.
We’ve come to expect bonuses on boxed sets. Last year, the Beatles’ “Revolver” re-release set the standard for future sets with its outtakes, remixes, and lots of never-before-released recordings. “Genesis BBC Broadcasts” has no such bonuses. It’s just a shame, and That’s All.
BEYOND THE REMOTE
PSA FOR PNEUMONIA VACCINE: I want to thank everyone for their support while I battled pneumonia for the past couple of weeks. I was hit - hard. Here’s my PSA: Get the pneumonia vaccine. You don’t want to go through this. I’ll admit - I didn’t even know there was a pneumonia vaccine. Please, friends, I want you healthy and happy. As they say on TV: Ask your doctor if the pneumonia vaccine is right for you.
REMOTE NOTES
Newsletter #42
Founder/Writer: Steve Safran
Editor: John Cockrell
Copyright 2023
Hey, Steve. Glad you’re doing better. Wishing you nothing but good health moving forward.
Part of the joy of listening to radio is connecting with the personalities. A talented broadcaster can channel your frustrations and become a close companion. I may be optimistic, but I don’t think an AI-generated voice can do that work yet. So there will always be a place for “talent” and opinion makers. However, I do see other applications for AI-infused radio. Certainly headlines come to mind. But even there a good personality would be preferred. Either way, the talent has to distinguish itself. The days of running away from being opinionated are gone.