5. The city with the longest name is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit. But we call it...?
There was also a question about what the following three cities have in common… New York, Mumbai, Istanbul. But I’ll give you the answer to that one… as I might have done to one of the questions above, being unable to resist an obvious tune.
Back in the days when The Mary Whitehouse Experience was the best thing on telly, Hugh Dennis had a character called Embarrassing Dad. The main thing I remember is that he'd try desperately to like his kids' music, with the catchphrase "It's got a good beat, you can really dance to it."
I realise now that I have become Embarrassing Dad, because Sam keeps introducing me to a wealth of current pop music... and some of it, I actually quite like. With the obvious caveat that all true pop music is made primarily for teenagers, so I'll never get it in the way Sam does, or in the same way that I dig the new album by James McMurtry.
Anyway, in lieu of anything better to write about, here's a new series in which I share some of the music Sam has introduced me to... starting with this "80s inspired ADHD anthem" from British singer-songwriter Lola Young. I'm convinced Sam only likes it because it shares its name with a famous footballer.
Be warned, there's a lot of swears in the version on youtube. The radio edit (which I'm hoping is the one Sam prefers) substitutes the f-word for damn, which seems rather quaint and old fashioned. In the modern world.
Indeed. So it has. It came as no surprise that the group spearheading this revolution is Bauer Media – compared by many of my former radio colleagues to The Empire in Star Wars for the way they systematically swallowed up smaller radio stations that were delivering local content and then drained them of life, homogenising them to the point where they were identical to every other local station on the dial.
I’m not claiming to be any kind of clairvoyant, but back in the 90s I wrote a comic called The Jock about a society that was ruled by a corporation called YOURENT, a media company which controlled the population through bland identikit radio output that played only computer-generated mind-control muzak. The Jock and his small group of “rebel DJs” fought against YOURENT by playing the old songs / “real” music in the hopes of waking people up and reminding them of their lost freedom. But it was a losing battle…
It’s only a matter of time until more and more of our radio stations jettison human content altogether in favour of robots. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush and Sam Fender are leading the fight against AI music… but I’m sure the record companies will be glad to see the back of those trouble-makers.
Does it matter if our traffic and travel bulletins are delivered by machines? Bauer Media reply:
“This development is a natural evolution of our long-standing services. Bulletins are generated through INRIX’s traffic intelligence and automation systems, with delivery informed by the tone and style of our experienced broadcast journalists to ensure continuity and familiarity for listeners.”
“The result provides clear, consistent and recognisable traffic updates, delivered faster than ever before and opening the door to even more precise and personalised information in the future.”
They might just as well have said, “This development is a natural evolution of our long-standing commitment to maximising profits.”
Putting aside the loss of human jobs, radio is also losing all its humanity. I stopped wanting to be a radio presenter the day I realised a lot of radio bosses were no longer interested in personality, innovation, creativity or humour. When they started timing DJ links, restricting the number of times a presenter could speak within an hour, scripting the output to remove any potential for spontaneity or wit. “It’s only a travel bulletin,” you might well reply. But I’ve enjoyed many a travel bulletin delivered by human beings in the past, when presenters and journalists have been allowed to chat to each other like real people. I’m thinking of Sally Traffic on Radio 2, or Terry Wogan’s hilarious Janet & John stories, inspired by newsreader John Marsh.
Will there come a day when we can no longer hear a human voice on our radios? I asked the AI-Gods. Here’s what they told me…
It is highly unlikely that radio stations will soon use only AI voices. Instead, the industry is moving towards a hybrid model where AI voices handle repetitive tasks and behind-the-scenes production, while human hosts remain crucial for live interaction, genuine emotional connection, and creative, unscripted content.
How much do you bet the AI Overlords stole that bit from an article written by a human? In other words, they’re just telling us what we want to hear.
Despite the technological advancements, the "human touch" remains a cornerstone of successful radio broadcasting:
Spontaneity and Improvisation: AI is not yet capable of the seamless, real-time banter, empathy, and improvisation that define live radio, especially during breaking news or call-in shows.
Building Community and Trust: A host's ability to share personal anecdotes, build a genuine connection with listeners, and show empathy during local tragedies is a fundamentally human skill that AI cannot replicate.
Cannot yet?
Audience Preference: Listeners are generally more accepting of AI for informational content but prefer a human voice for personality-driven shows. Transparency about the use of AI is also crucial for maintaining audience trust.
If human beings trust Donald Trump enough to elect him to the White House twice, then I’m sure we can grow to trust SKYNET and its Terminators in no time at all.
The use of AI in radio also raises ethical considerations regarding job displacement and the need for transparency. Industry experts and professional bodies are emphasizing the need for clear guidelines and the upskilling of the workforce to manage the new roles that AI creates, such as AI Voice Managers and prompt engineers.
What do you want to be when you grow up, Timmy? A DJ?
No chance. How about training to be an AI Voice Manager instead?
In conclusion, while AI is fundamentally changing how radio content is produced, it is seen as a powerful tool to augment, not completely replace, human hosts. The future of radio is a collaboration between human creativity and AI efficiency.
Next, a Trojan Rocking Horse, responsible for a whole bunch of Reggae singles in the early 70s. This was the one I picked, purely because I liked the title.
A Liverpudlian Rockin' Horse next, keen to "revive the classic Liverpool sound" in 1971. Songwriter Billy Kinsey (previously of the Merseybeats, later of The Liverpool Express) came up with the idea for this tune while on holiday in Portugal, where he met a couple of a mischievous toddler called Julian... I'm presuming the dad wasn't called John.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand in the mid-70s, these country-flavoured dudes were enjoying chart success which allowed for no space between the rocking and the horse. Extra points for being the only band to have their photo taken with an actual rocking horse.
Our next Rocking Horse, also known as The Superobots, Superband and Megalonsingers, are an Italian musical group active between 1979 and 1984, dedicated to creating theme songs for cartoons. And it took me quite a long time to get my head around that. I’m presuming that the photo above is from some more recent reunion gig.
The sound of a South African Rocking Horse from 1988… singing about going down south to New Orleans (which would be a northerly destination for these guys - i.e. "Up North" - surely?)
And finally, a Spanish Rocking Horse from 2017. Be warned, “their live shows are full of instrumental virtuosity but with a true feeling that will make your head blow out.” I’m sorry, they’re from Barcelona.
