Radio Gets Thumbs-Up From ChatGPT. Now Comes The Harder Sell.

A query to ChatGPT about whether radio is a good place to advertise comes back with an answer that will put a smile on a sales manager’s face. “Radio can be a killer place to advertise when it’s used for the right job and bought smartly,” the widely-used AI platform responds. ChatGPT says radio is especially strong for local awareness, retail traffic, service categories, and as a reinforcement to a brand’s campaign on digital. “Unlike many digital ads, radio isn’t skipped, blocked, or scrolled past,” the response continues, delivering the message with an image of a thumbs-up toting air personality.

Nevertheless, there is growing concern that as more small and mid-sized businesses use AI tools like ChatGPT in their advertising planning, it will steer many away from their local radio station. Borrell Associates President Gordon Borrell says at the urging of many in radio, when they produced their annual benchmarking survey with the Radio Advertising Bureau, more than a third — (36%) — believe AI recommendations are negative to radio. But Borrell adds on his latest “Marketing Minute” podcast that the survey also finds most radio managers say they aren’t aware of their clients using AI for ad buying decision-making.

Dream Local Digital CEO Shannon Kinney says advertisers are approaching AI and traditional media with a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and a growing demand for proof. Kinney says local advertisers are increasingly wary of inflated audience claims and metrics that feel disconnected from real business outcomes.

“We’re seeing skepticism in the market of, if not, inflated or exaggerated audience sizes,” she says, noting on the podcast that sales teams often focus on metrics “that just don’t matter to the business,” such as clicks that fail to translate into revenue. Instead, advertisers are becoming more engaged in understanding performance, even as they cycle rapidly through providers in search of someone they trust. In many cases, Kinney says, “they’ve been burned at least once.”

AI is now entering that same decision-making process, though not always in ways that benefit local media. Kinney says many businesses are already using AI for marketing research and recommendations, but those tools rarely point advertisers toward traditional channels. She warns AI should not be treated as an all-knowing authority.

“It is a happy intern,” Kinney says, explaining that while AI can be helpful, like an intern, there are also limits to its knowledge. “It only knows what it knows,” she says.

Borrell surveys show most local advertisers are using AI, but its main task is helping with brainstorming on campaign creative, not ad placement. Yet Kinney said AI’s limitations pose a challenge for local media companies, which are often poorly represented in AI systems. “When you treat it as a recommendation engine, in some cases, it doesn’t even know what the media company offers,” she says, calling that a “real weak spot for media.” She contrasts that with platforms like Google and Meta, where AI-driven optimization and pacing tools are already deeply embedded.

Despite the risks, Kinney thinks adoption among advertisers is accelerating. She estimates half of active advertisers are already testing AI in some form, even if many do not yet know how to train or use it effectively. “They’ve all at least logged in and are trying something,” she says on the podcast.

Ultimately, Kinney views AI not as a replacement for expertise, but as a tool that rewards context, training, and strategy — qualities advertisers increasingly expect from partners like local radio reps. Without that guidance, she suggests, neither AI nor traditional media can deliver the clarity and ROI today’s local advertisers’ demand.

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