WHY AI WILL RADICALLY TRANSFORM RADIO — FOR THE BETTER

My journey with radio began in the cozy confines of my parents' basement when I was a mere 9 years old. While my nascent passion for music — handed down from my mother, a music educator — was an essential factor, the emotional connection that radio fostered with its audience was the true linchpin of my fascination. Eventually, I went on to consult for broadcasters and publishers around the world, helping to build digital audience and revenue strategies. Radio and technology is more than a career; it’s a life passion for me.

Today, I find myself entrenched in the radio industry, urging my colleagues and peers to embrace a seemingly incongruous partner to our inherently human medium — artificial intelligence (AI). I'm not calling for this union out of a fascination for novelty, but from a conviction that AI holds the transformative potential to enrich and rejuvenate our industry.

AI is capable of reshaping the fabric of radio in ways we never thought were possible. And in a time when people have never had more options to access content when, where, and how they want it, implementing AI is absolutely necessary if radio is going to continue to be relevant to our audiences.

Wise use of AI, like Futuri’s RadioGPT system, can offer unique, personalized listener experiences that are far beyond the capabilities of traditional, one-size-fits-all broadcasts. Do the listeners in every part of your country have the exact same preferences? No, I didn’t think so. AI can help you create and deliver content that’s relevant to everyone, not just those in your largest cities. With AI’s ability to process massive amounts of data, we now have the ability to generate deep, nuanced understandings of current listener behaviors, needs, and preferences, in all geographic regions, and react to them instantly.

Why do I emphasize current here? Because technology has never moved so quickly, and listener behaviors are changing with it. If we rely on concepts about our audiences that were developed even 3-5 years ago to help guide our strategic decisions, we’re doing ourselves — and our industry — a disservice. Just think about how much the landscape has changed since the pandemic. We are living in a new and very different media market now, where audiences have unforgivingly short attention spans and voracious appetite for content. Sadly, in many places, radio’s creative content teams are smaller than ever.

But what about the human part of the business? The personalities are probably why many of us fell in love with radio in the first place. Since Futuri launched RadioGPT, I’ve heard from many people who are worried that embracing AI will replace the special human aspect of radio. I understand that fear, but I also think the opposite is true. Actually, I believe that people will not be replaced by AI — people will be replaced by other people using AI.

The radio professionals who learn to use AI to deliver greater personalization, operational efficiency, actionable insights, seamless integration with multiple content platforms, and an enhanced focus on what truly counts — creating meaningful connections with listeners through the power of radio — those professionals will thrive. It's not just about keeping up with the times; it's about shaping the future of radio, ensuring its relevance and resonance in an ever-evolving media landscape.

Radio as a medium is more than 100 years old. Today’s talented radio professionals deserve technologies and operating strategies that empower them to stay ahead of the rapidly evolving media landscape — and keep radio relevant for the next 100 years. Debating whether AI is going to disrupt our industry is wasteful of time and energy; it will disrupt every industry. It’s up to us to make it the right kind of disruption that serves as a catalyst for growth. This is what makes me so proud to be at the forefront of the conversation about AI, RadioGPT, and the use of AI to create the future. I look forward to seeing you at SwissRadioDay 2023!

AUTHOR BIO:

Daniel Anstandig is CEO and Founder of Futuri, the leading provider of AI-driven content, audience, and sales technology for media companies. Anstandig founded the company in 2009 under the guiding question, ‘What if radio was created after the internet?” Today, Futuri’s technology is in use by more than 5,000 media professionals worldwide, and Anstandig is a leading tech futurist and innovator who holds 20 published or pending patents in 151 countries worldwide.

5,33 Millionen Menschen schalten in der Schweiz an einem durchschnittlichen Tag das Radio ein. Das entspricht über sieben von zehn Personen (73,4% der Schweizer Bevölkerung). Wer Radio hört, tut dies 111 Minuten pro Tag. Mediapulse misst den Konsum von rund 200 Radiosendern rund um die Uhr und stellt damit der Radiobranche, der Werbewirtschaft und den Behörden zuverlässige Nutzungsdaten zur Verfügung.

Lors d’un jour moyen, 5,33 millions de personnes en Suisse allument la radio. Cela correspond à plus de sept personnes sur dix (73,4% de la population suisse). Celles et ceux qui écoutent la radio le font pendant 111 minutes par jour en moyenne. Mediapulse mesure l’écoute de quelque 200 stations radio 24 heures sur 24 et met ainsi des données d’audience fiables à la disposition de la branche, du secteur de la publicité et des autorités.

Die Interessengemeinschaft elektronische Medien IGEM setzt sich für die Vielfalt und Transparenz der elektronischen Medien in der Schweiz ein. Unsere jährliche Studie IGEMDigimonitor ist repräsentativ für die gesamte Bevölkerung und erhebt die Nutzung von elektronischen Medien und Geräten in der Schweiz.

Mehr als 80% der Schweizer Bevölkerung (82% / 5.6 Mio.) hören mindestens wöchentlich Radio. Jede dritte Person ab 15 Jahren nutzt pro Woche den Streamingdienst Spotify (34% / 2.3 Mio.) und jede fünfte hört Podcasts (21% / 1.4 Mio.).

Le groupe d’intérêt des médias électroniques IGEM s’engage pour la diversité et la transparence des médias électroniques en Suisse. Notre étude annuelle IGEM-Digimonitor est représentative de l’ensemble de la population et recense l›utilisation des médias et appareils électroniques en Suisse.

Plus de 80% de la population suisse (82% / 5.6 millions) écoute la radio au moins une fois par semaine. Une personne sur trois âgée de 15 ans et plus utilise chaque semaine le service de streaming Spotify (34% / 2,3 millions) et une sur cinq écoute des podcasts (21% / 1,4 million).

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