A few things seem obvious: the audience doesn’t want to be duped. They want authenticity. And they’re starving for real connection. Rock radio, or as I like to call it, RockTernative, should be their home.
iHeartMedia may take a perceptual beating from insiders, but the company deserves credit for being ahead of the curve in trying to address America’s concerns over AI’s societal impact.
When the company sent out its Thanksgiving press release announcing its new companywide slogan, “Guaranteed Human,” it was picked up by industry media as if it were Howard Stern announcing a comeback to terrestrial radio.
As the country’s largest broadcaster and a bottom-line setter, this was an important announcement at an important time. It’s also something any other broadcaster could have done, but unless I’m mistaken, iHeart was first with such a bold, nationwide proclamation.
But slogans only go so far.
How the company operates and truly defines “Guaranteed Human” in a voicetracking and quarterly earnings environment — and what it all really means behind the scenes for programming, operations, and administration — is a discussion for another day.
Ultimately, it all comes back to the fans. They’ll be the ones driving the decisions America’s biggest brands make. The days of listeners simply accepting whatever they’re given are over. Meet humanity’s demands or be replaced.
Ironically, outside of the fear of being replaced, what I hear most about AI from fans is a fear of being misled — and a desire for real human connections with people they can trust, not digital hangouts with randoms who might be bots.
Being Human
So what does this mean for those of us in RockTernative?
It can mean several things, but it starts with something simple: just being human.
- Share feelings and opinions
- Own imperfections — don’t prerecord everything into perfection
- Break some rules and be unpredictable at times
- Answer phones, texts, and comments
- Put listeners on the air
- Go out and meet people
- Write copy for 2026, not 1996
- Don’t overhype
- Put liners into your own words
- Play real music and curate logs — don’t just auto-schedule them
- Stop pretending you’re in Boise when you’re in Tampa
Those may seem easy, or even small, but they’re not. Collectively, they add up to a bigger picture that isn’t being painted at many brands. And time is running out. Listeners can see, hear, and feel their way through bullshit.
The audience is sending signals and giving radio the rope it needs. But if the human element in radio gets lost — even if only perceptually — that’s when the relevance and revenue ballgames end.
It’s Like Vinyl vs. Digital
RockTernatives won’t believe where the idea for today’s ramblings came from. Over the holiday break, I heard Matthew or Gunnar Nelson on the Marci’s Playground podcast say, “Human is the new vinyl.”
Yes, the Nelson twins. It’s a long story — but that line slays. It says a lot.
Why do people still love vinyl?
- Nostalgia and memories of better times
- Authenticity — real humans, real instruments
- Imperfection: the hiss and crackle
- Non-compressed sound with more range
- Physical materials — liner notes, artwork, photos
- The smell
- Putting on a record requires intent and effort, not just a digital touch or scroll
All of that creates a real, human connection. Fans say they can hear the difference with vinyl, but most really can’t. What they mean is they can feel the difference.
AI and digital streaming, on the other hand:
- Perfection — no off notes, no scratches
- Ubiquity, often free
- Compression that doesn’t breathe
- Disposable — shareable now, forgotten by dinnertime
- No physical presence
- Emotionless — like an AI girlfriend that says she loves you, but you never feel it
AI isn’t bad. It will benefit humans in real ways. But AI will lose when it pretends to be human.
RockTernative Is Human
Rock music has always been created and performed by humans. Fans expect authenticity. The genre is a culture warrior — a defender of humanity that has raged against the machines, worn its heart on its sleeve, and refused to compromise. It’s no secret why rock typically leads in physical (vinyl) sales.
Early marketers taught us that if you need to announce that something is cool, it’s not really cool. RockTernative fits that bill. It doesn’t need a slogan promising to be human. It just needs to remain human and imperfect — like vinyl, like its iconic artists.
- Dave Grohl isn’t going to use samples
- Tom Morello won’t be silenced
- Axl will still show up late
- Maynard will remain a mystery
They’re imperfectly human.
We often don’t know whether today’s entertainment is AI-generated or human-made, but there’s something comforting about the authenticity of vinyl — just like knowing you’re dealing with a human, not a bot or an ultra-perfect, canned jock pretending to be down the street.
I’m not calling them RockTernative, but the Nelson brothers were right: the audience is tired of perfection and is looking for real connections they can trust. That’s why human is the new vinyl.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.
