As media executives grapple with the use of artificial intelligence, radio giant iHeartMedia wants to stand out.
“We do not use AI-generated personalities. We do not play AI-powered music that features synthetic vocalists pretending to be human,” Tom Poleman, the company's program manager, wrote in an email to employees.
“The podcasts we publish are also guaranteed to be human,” he wrote.
Radio station DJs are now expected to say “Guaranteed Man” as part of their hourly on-air announcements, which include announcing the station's call letters, as required by the Federal Communications Commission. The new advertising campaign is based on iHeartMedia research that shows listeners turn to the radio for more than just music and information.
“Consumers aren’t just looking for content, they’re looking for connections,” says the company’s president of analytics, Laney Fertick. wrote in an October blog post. “In a world of technology overload, consumers are looking for something real.”
The move comes at a time when Hollywood creators, agents and executives are grappling with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, which has helped workers perform routine tasks but has also caused a stir with the release realistic AI actors such as Tilly Norwoodwho has over 66,000 followers on Instagram. Entertainment industry giants, including Walt Disney Co. and Comcast's NBCUniversal, also sued artificial intelligence companies for copyright infringement.
Of course, iHeartMedia uses “AI-powered productivity and distribution tools that help scale our business operations,” Poleman wrote in his note. Such AI tools are used for “scheduling, audience insights, data analytics, workflow automation, production, editing and show production,” he said.
iHeartMedia is the nation's largest radio operator with more than 850 stations including KFI-AM 640, KLAC-AM 570, KOST-FM 103.5 and KIIS-FM 102.7 in Los Angeles.
The company is also growing its podcast business, producing shows such as Things You Should Know, Questlove Supreme and Drama Queens. He also produces podcasts with the NFL, NBA and Shonda Rhimes' Shondaland Audio, including “The Laverne Cox Show.”
Formerly known as Clear Channel Communications, the company experienced the dark side of automation and centralized programming.
In 2002, her radio station in Minot, North Dakota, canned music on air how a toxic cloud engulfed a community after a train carrying anhydrous ammonia for fertilizer derailed and exploded. One person died and dozens were injured. Congress then delved into the supposed harms of media consolidation. and the failure of broadcasters to warn the public during the disaster in Minot, where Clear Channel owned six of eight commercial radio stations.
Clear Channel later said local police had failed that night to activate an emergency alert system that would allow special bulletins to be broadcast.
Since then, the company has been actively involved in responding to other natural disasters. An iHeart spokesperson noted its award-winning coverage of Hurricane Helen in Asheville, N.C., in 2024, as well as its efforts during the devastating Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires in January, “providing critical life-saving information and working with local organizations to collect and distribute needed supplies for disaster relief efforts,” the spokesperson said, noting that Clear Channel was run by a different management team.
“At iHeart, we make serving our communities our number one priority,” the spokesperson said.
iHeartMedia, like other entertainment and news outlets, is facing advertising cuts and is looking for ways to keep listeners engaged in a fragmented media environment. The company laid off several staffers at historic KFI this fall, including Morris “Moe” O'Kelly, who hosted the station's late-night talk show for nearly three years.
Radio host Chuck Dizzle also announced on Instagram that he had been fired from Los Angeles hip-hop station iHeart KRRL-FM, which bills itself as “Real 92.3.”
The company said its research shows consumers crave interaction with real people and have deep concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence and its potential for social change.
Poleman pointed to a recent survey that found two-thirds of respondents were concerned about losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence.
iHeartMedia employees should think of “Guaranteed Man” as more than just a marketing slogan, Poleman writes.
“When listeners interact with us, they know they are interacting with real voices, real stories and real emotions,” Poleman wrote. “Sometimes you have to choose a side—we side with the people.”
