Air Talent Worry About Losing Their Job To AI But Say It Could Bring Efficiencies to Their Work

 

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Story by Inside Radio

A majority of on-air talent (54%) say COVID changed the culture at their radio station, especially those working for the nation’s largest radio companies. And the vast majority (two thirds) lean negative about AI’s impact on radio. Nearly half believe AI will have a negative short-term impact on their radio careers. These are among the topline findings from Jacobs Media’s “AQ5,” the Detroit-based consultancy’s fifth annual survey of radio on air talent, presented Thursday at Don Anthony’s Morning Show Boot Camp in Dallas.

Even with COVID in the rear-view mirror and many talent having returned to the on-air studio, four in ten say that they have not yet nailed down a work/life balance, although that sentiment is less prominent among Baby Boomers and is down seven percentage points from last year’s survey.

While it may not qualify as a news flash, the trend for radio hosts to have more duties. Lots more.

The Jacobs Media survey shows more than one-third of respondents now wear four or more hats, meaning they may now juggle programming, working on air for more than one station or serving as music director or promotion director. Only 18% of survey participants say they wear just one hat. And in the age of voicetracked radio, about half say they are doing at least some voicetracking. The trend is consistent across companies of all sizes, from the big consolidators to Mom & Pop shops, and across all market sizes.

The top skills air talent believe are necessary for being successful on the air in 2023 are not technical skills, being able to shoot or edit video or the ability to make TikTok videos. Instead they have everything to do with being an effective storyteller. Eight in ten say storytelling skills are essential, followed by being in public/meeting listeners (68%), reading effective endorsement ads (65%), and being a good public speaker (63%).

Money Matters and Side Hustles

Most survey takers say they are in good shape financially – 40% indicate they are “comfortable” and 17% say they are “making it.” But four in ten say they are in debt or struggling.

To make ends meet, three in ten radio air talent say they have had to take a second or third job. While the majority (60%) have not taken on an additional job, 24% of respondents say they have and 9% say they have taken on a third job to stay afloat financially. Additionally, the survey found that nearly three in ten air talent (28%) are involved in a second business. Of those who have ventured into a second business, 29% are male, and 26% are female. Breaking it down by age, 21% of GenX respondents have started or invested in a secondary business, followed by 27% of Boomers, and 24% of Millennials.

With hundreds and hundreds of the most viable radio stations owned by just a handful of companies, it comes as no surprise that more than a third (35%) of the sample work for one of the big radio companies, compared to 22% for a medium-sized company. One in four (24%) are employed by a small company and 16% hang their hat in a Mom & Pop shop.

And while it is sharply lower than pre-COVID, air talent are more apt to recommend working at their station than they were in 2021.

Suggesting it’s time for an industrywide Hug Your Morning Host Day, a majority of talent surveyed (85%) agree or strongly agree with the statement, “Overall, talent in radio is taken for granted.”

What’s the outlook for the radio industry from the perspective of the jocks behind the mic? A majority (51%) feel broadcast radio will hold its own over the next five years but few see it growing much.

Most people get into radio because of their love for the medium and the survey finds those inner fires still burn brightly: two in three say they are passionate about radio and two thirds believe it’s possible to achieve their radio dream.

Mixed Feelings About AI

“AQ5” is positioned as “Radio Talent In the AI Era” and the survey finds that radio talent are familiar with AI: 35% say they are “very familiar” and 58% “somewhat familiar” with the technology. Only 9% say they are “not familiar.”

The vast majority (two thirds) lean negative about AI’s impact on radio. That breaks down to 22% who see its impact as being “very negative and 43% say “somewhat negative.” Nearly half believe AI will have a negative short-term impact on their radio careers.

The big concern? Job loss. Three in four agree or strongly agree with the statement that “AI technology will lead to many more on-air radio jobs being lost.” But there is an upside to artificial intelligence being used at radio. Nearly half see it bringing efficiency to their job. And six in ten say they can adapt to AI.

The fifth annual AQ web survey was conducted July 6-19 among 442 currently employed talent and 60 unemployed commercial radio personalities in the U.S. The data is unweighted and does not represent all air talent.

Respondents skewed male, 45+ and Gen X with an average age of 51.3.

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