ChatGPT Comes for Radio [Content Made Simple]
Issue #303: Phones and youth, Pokimane's shift, and more.
TOP OF THE WEEK
ChatGPT Comes for Radio
Quote:
RadioGPT makes it easy to replace human DJs with bots
That’s very reassuring, given the state of radio. Axios Cleveland reports that local business Futuri has launched a product called RadioGPT, which can theoretically do most of the work of manning a radio station without human labor.
According to the website, it uses GPT-4-powered bots that can perform interstitial chats about the music lineup, local weather, and news and even field listener comments and questions. RadioGPT can also do tasks that would otherwise be the domain of interns and entry-level staffers, like creating complimentary blog posts, converting live shows into podcasts, and social media.
Commentary:
I am paying very close attention to this development, as I know plenty of people who work in radio and expect that entire medium to be up-ended in the next decade or so. This is a fascinating read on the relationship between generative AI and radio as a medium.
THE TRIVIA QUESTION
What is the only letter that does not appear in the periodic table of elements?
Answer at the bottom.
HITTING THE LINKS
Link #1: “Listen to Us.” What These 12 Kids Want Adults to Know
This article broke me when I read it earlier this week. Just broke me. Required reading for parents of teens and student ministry leaders, imo.
Link #2: Pokimane is streaming less on Twitch, but I’m seeing more of her than ever
Pokimane is one of the biggest livestreamers in the world. So reading about her evolving approach to creating online content is worth learning from, I think.
“Streaming often takes more time and effort but helps build a very deep connection with your audience. Alternatively, short form content can take more planning but less time filming and can reach more people, but it is more difficult to establish that deep connection with your audience since they won’t be spending as much time interacting with you,” Pokimane said.
It’s not the biggest change in the world, but is notable at a time where more and more popular streamers have been leaving the platform for YouTube deals. Still, now, it seems like Pokimane has struck more of a balance, as she continues to stream with a lower number of hours and shares more lifestyle content on TikTok.
Link #3: Epic is going to give 40 percent of Fortnite’s net revenues back to creators
Earlier this week I wrote about how Fortnite’s new creative mode (which launched yesterday) could change a lot of things about the future of everything, but especially the future of the internet and video games. Epic announced they’ll be paying out billions of dollars a year to people who create content within Fortnite. Big step toward the metaverse, to be sure.
Fortnite generates “billions” of dollars of revenue per year from purchases of outfits and items from the game’s in-game shop, Saxs Persson, Epic’s EVP of the Fortnite ecosystem, said onstage at the event. As part of Creator Economy 2.0, Epic plans to distribute 40 percent of Fortnite’s net revenue to “eligible creators who publish games in Fortnite,” a description that includes Epic itself.
THE FUNNY PART
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Trivia Answer: The letter “J”