Companionship. Most media outlets don’t have it. It’s one of those radio attributes that sets it apart from most other media outlets.
With radio, not only can you multitask while you’re listening, radio done right has the ability to keep you company. We’ve seen the power of companionship in our Techsurveys year after year in our “Why radio?” question. This is where respondents make their way down a list of potential qualities one might derive from the radio. For each, they are asked whether they’re a main driver why they listen to broadcast radio.
It’s always a revealing list, and one that I’ve put a lot of stock into over the last two+ decades of these national surveys. The hierarchy of radio qualities provides radio programmers with a helpful list of not only what drives listening, but why listeners sometimes form attachments to individual stations. But the “Why radio?” question can be broken out by format, so we can learn how the priorities of Alternative fans (and its DNA in general) can look quite a bit different for Country or Sports Radio fans.
Techsurvey 2026 is in the field right now. Focused on commercial radio, it is no coincidence more than 27,000 people from all over America have taken our survey—so far. They are eager to register their opinions about broadcast radio and the myriad options now available to the average consumer.
So while we’re still gathering responses for this year’s survey, the 2025 edition helpfully shows us the pecking order of what matters to radio listeners. Note all the attributes on the chart below that account for what radio tells us are the most essential elements.
I always gravitate to the radio motivators tagged with a circle red “E.” By and large, they don’t represent tangible assets like a music format or a morning show. Instead, they are the emotional underpinnings that explain why radio (still) matters, in a world where most entertainment and information barely captures their attention.
The “Why radio?” chart below puts it in perspective. While AM/FM radio is appealing to consumers for all sorts of reasons, nearly half concur the medium delivers on this promise (the red bar):
Toni Morrison’s famous quote about what registers for most people has become the standard “explainer for what moves the populace:
Those “feels” matter to radio, something iHeart’s Bob Pittman talks up every time he’s interviewed about the medium’s continued relevance. It has long been radio’s “secret sauce.”
But at CES this year, we couldn’t help but notice just how much this companion quality is something AI is zeroing in on. The sheer number of exhibits where AI is part of the technology is truly breathtaking. Seldom do you see a technology pervade every corner of this massive show. Virtually every gadget and technology includes the philosophy of how brands are utilizing AI to attempt to change the relationship between consumers and their preferred digital platform or gadget.
If “AI” was the most spoken about at CES, “companion” is becoming a oft-mentioned aspect of how companies are using this technology to personalize and customize our online experiences.
One of the ways brands are doing this is to analogize AI with a smart bot or robot who gets to know its “master.” Cars are actually getting better at guiding us through our daily grinds. A number of exhibiting companies pitched similar values—the “AI companion in the passenger seat” who gets to know our preferences and desires, whether it’s how far away we are from a favorite restaurant, upcoming EV charging stations, turnpike rest stops, where to get your favorite music when the radio station you were listening to goes into a stopset.
This idea of a bot that gets to know you, anticipates your needs, and provides some semblance of companionship has been a salient part of sci-fi movies, books, and comics for decades and decades.
The movie Her starring Joaquin Phoenix (pictured) from way back in 2013 explores how companionship with a bot—voiced by Scarlet Johansson—could become next-level for this technology.
Both Bladerunner films—the original released way back in 1982, and its sequel that hit theaters nine years ago took the companion concept to a much higher level.
In Bladerunner 2049, Ryan Gosling plays a replicant hunter while Ana De Armas is his personal AI companion who delivers on a multitude of levels. As has been the case for well more than a century, science fiction writers have typically had amazing vision for how technology might be used in the future.
We noted at CES how so many AI bots have been visually humanized, whether they are designed for children, like Ollobot (pictured) or they use first names as their handles.
The sales marketing company, AdCellerant has introduced “Carl” as their version of an AI companion who can perform a suite of services, from doing research on a prospective client, building a multi-media advertising package, and building a PowerPoint presentation to wow a perspective client.
This idea of using first names to represent an AI buddy hit a new CES low in Eureka Park where we met “Fred,” a bot designed to work with
companies on audience research studies and similar projects—a sure sign this trend may have already jumped the shark.
What does this trend portend for radio? As stations have gravitated to prerecorded shows hosted by out of market talent, perhaps the companionship piece has eroded somewhat.
Can “AI buds” convincingly replace—or at least compete with—humans? It’s a question that remains to be seen. The “AI companion” phase is clearly a technology goal that is fast becoming a trend.
In the coming days, I’ll cover a fascinating mashup for radio and AI—“Radio.FYI” created by Black Eyed Peas leader wil.i.am. It is a fascinating concept where former radio people are doing their best to humanize bots and give them the ability to create truly interactive radio.
Stay tuned, buddy.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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