Cap city radio: Knocked down? Get up again!

Content by Anthony Maley

I stumbled across an article recently on Radio Today decrying artificial intelligence sneaking its way into radio, resulting in the possibility of jobs disappearing faster than one-dollar middies on a Friday night in the late 80s!

Obviously, I’m no stranger to reminiscing about “the good old days”. I find it quite cathartic to occasionally shake my fist at clouds with like-minded friends about the state of the industry. Particularly when the solutions to our challenges don’t exactly require a degree in quantum mechanics.

But back to A.I.  Remember the bygone professions of carriage drivers, lamplighters, typesetters, switchboard operators, ice cutters, and milkmen? No?  The reason is technology. It gallops on, leaving non-adapters in its dust. And truth be told, radio’s been dealing with a slow-moving train wreck for a while.

Playlists are shorter than the entry line to a Chumbawamba concert. Major city breakfast teams recycle the same kind of jokes and stories (my kid or partner did this funny thing – Kyle and Jackie O the exception, of course) with strikingly similar formats and team structures.

But I digress – again … Back to A.I. So, here’s the thing: A.I. isn’t the enemy. It’s a tool, just like a microphone. Use it right, and you might just have a shot at keeping the station lights on. The time for innovation is now!

I’m a Brisbane-based screenwriter now, developing a couple of projects in LA. Recently, a moneyman and entrepreneur I work closely with visited a cutting-edge VFX/CGI/AI production studio. They’re now 3D scanning actors’ bodies, capturing their changing physiques over time. Imagine an actor getting paid the same (or nearly) for a film they’re not physically in, or new movies after they shake off this mortal coil – it’s happening. A.I. will even nuance the actor’s voice for looping! I can now utter a sentence into a mic and have the chosen voice deliver it on screen in the same style. Inflections and all.

Now, imagine streaming your own curated radio show!

Eventually, you’ll be able to program your station. Think (estate-approved) Doug Mulray or Kyle & Jackie O hosting a breakfast show with music selections inspired by your Spotify/YouTube/Apple favourites, and news from around the world. Everything personalised – just for you.

It isn’t as far away as you might think.

Don’t get me wrong, radio will need the human element, but the industry and the world are changing. The genie is out of the bottle, and the three wishes for the industry have been spent.

I’ll leave you with the words of Leon C. Megginson, who paraphrased Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Anthony Maley has over 30 years of experience in media, business, and the arts, beginning his career as a radio comedy presenter and recognised as an industry award finalist.

Transitioning into business development and leadership roles, Anthony has spearheaded ventures in manufacturing (CEO) and business consulting – commercialising new products globally.

 Founder of Pepper, No! Productions, he’s dedicated seven years to crafting ‘Fly Squad – First Strike!’, an animated feature screenplay, alongside creating ‘The Ex Ordinary’, a live-action sci-fi/drama TV pilot (think Stranger Things/X-Files/Black Mirror w/ a dash of 3 Body Problem). It was a quarterfinalist in the 2023 Screencraft TV Pilot competition. Both projects are being developed in LA.