The Most Valuable Commodity AI Can’t Generate
By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Legal Group, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer
Throughout the TALKERS 2026 conference, there was a recurring theme that bears repeating:
Technology creates abundance. Authenticity creates value.
Throughout human history, creating media required expensive equipment, specialized knowledge, or access to someone willing to open the door. Each technological leap removed another layer of friction. Desktop publishing challenged traditional print. Digital audio transformed radio production. YouTube made anyone with a camera a broadcaster or “content creator.” Podcasting removed the need for a transmitter. Today, generative AI can help write scripts, edit video, compose music, translate languages, and produce polished content in minutes.
That isn’t the end of creativity. It’s the beginning of an era with more creativity than we’ve ever seen.
We should cautiously embrace it.
Every time technology lowers the barrier to creation, more people get the opportunity to tell stories, share ideas, build businesses, and reach audiences that were once inaccessible. That’s a remarkable thing.
Abundance, however, changes the economics.
When content was scarce, simply producing it created value. Today, content is everywhere. Tomorrow, there will be even more. Artificial intelligence isn’t replacing creators nearly as much as it’s multiplying them.
When everyone can create, audiences need a different way to decide what deserves their attention.
They look for authenticity.
Authenticity isn’t about perfection. It isn’t about expensive production. It isn’t even about whether AI helped along the way. It’s about whether audiences believe there is a real person behind the work, someone with genuine experience, judgment, and something worth saying.
That idea also explains why fair use has always mattered.
Fair use protects commentary, criticism, reporting, scholarship, and parody because those activities add something new to the conversation. Copyright law has long recognized that society benefits when creators contribute insight rather than simply repeat what already exists. The principle hasn’t changed. The tools have.
Media has entered another frontier. The rules are still developing. Business models continue to evolve. New voices appear every day. Some will succeed because they mastered the latest technology.
The most enduring voices will succeed because people trust them.
Broadcasters have always understood this, even if we didn’t always describe it that way. Listeners return because they believe the personality behind the microphone.
The same is true for podcasters, streamers, YouTubers, journalists, and creators of every kind.
Technology will continue creating abundance. That’s worth celebrating.
The opportunity now is to create something abundance cannot replace.
Authenticity.
Matthew B. Harrison is a media and intellectual property attorney who advises radio hosts, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights. Reach him at Matthew@HarrisonLegalGroup.com or read more at TALKERS.com.
hosted by nationally syndicated talk radio pro Larry O’Connor features interviews with wounded warriors and veterans including heroes from Operation Enduring Freedom, the Vietnam War and an incredible, emotional story of one of America’s World War II living legends. Fisher House Foundation provides a home away from home for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. Fisher Houses provide temporary free lodging so families can be close to their loved ones during medical care. 
AM/FM and sports talk KTIK-FM “953FM The Ticket,” plus three music brands. Fabian most recently served with Townsquare Media in Arizona. Fabian states, “I am honored to join the Boise team and look forward to becoming part of both the organization and this remarkable community. Throughout my career, I have always believed that great teams and strong relationships are the foundation of success. I am excited to work alongside this talented group, serve the Boise community, and help build on the strong tradition these stations have established.”
illness or disaster. The BFOA has distributed more than $20 million in aid to radio and television professionals over the past 15 years, representing over 200 broadcast companies across 45 states and U.S. territories. BFOA says, “On Giving Day, we encourage everyone in broadcasting to come together and support our broadcast community. Every contribution helps ensure that the Broadcasters Foundation can continue to provide a helping hand to broadcasters in need when tragedy strikes.” 
Fame. He’ll officially join the Hall on October 22 during a ceremony at the Rainbow Room in New York City. NYSBA says in a letter to Rosenberg,” Your career has been outstanding… while successful at WFAN and 1010 WINS, you have become a radio legend in your 10 years at 77WABC. From co-hosting the “Bernie and Sid” in 2016 to today’s “Sid and Friends in the Morning,” you have blazed a path in the tough New York City market.”
Outside the Box. We wish Ben nothing but the best moving forward.” According to WFRV-TV, Green Bay, the station says it will release more details in the coming weeks “about which local programming will replace Cominos and its political block.” Cominos is not giving up his show, however. He tells the Green Bay Press-Gazette, “I’m not going to bury the lede, I’m no longer employed by WHBY. ‘Outside the Box’ will still live on though. My show has been picked up by Minocqua Brewing.” He says “Outside the Box” will stream 9:00 am to 11:00 am weekdays on the Minocqua Brewing Co. Times Substack and on his own Facebook, TikTok and YouTube accounts. Cominos describes his show as “a working class political show for the people that feel left behind by the two-party system.”
helping patients with blood cancers or disorders find matching blood stem cell donors. WCCO brand manager Brad Lane comments, “The auction experiences created excitement. Our fans created impact. In an era of infinite content and fractured attention, this event wasn’t just a fundraiser. It was a reminder that radio still matters. It still creates community, inspires generosity, and has the power to turn listeners into neighbors united behind a common cause. We’re honored to help bring people together in support of NMDP’s mission.”
Now, the station announces that Malloy is returning to the station on July 13 to resume his role as co-host of the “Dennis & Judi Show.” This change doesn’t put Franco’s current co-host Eric Johnson out on the street. The former, longtime “New Jersey 101.5” program director is returning to management as operations manager and program director. He will serve as a fill-in talk host on the station and will spin records during
the station’s weekend music programs. Johnson says, “So here is where we are. Dennis and Judi are back together on July 13. I am moving into a role that lets me put 48 years of experience to work shaping what New Jersey radio sounds like across three markets. And I will still be here, writing about this state I have loved my whole life, and showing up on the air when you need a familiar voice.”
program is hears on more than 550 stations nationwide. Two years later, Premiere launched The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Podcast Network currently offering eight news, politics and culture podcasts. Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott says, “We’re so proud to celebrate this milestone with Clay and Buck. They had enormous shoes to fill when we launched this show, and they’ve surpassed our expectations in every way. Clay and Buck have built a dynamic, high-impact brand of talk radio that continues to grow across multiple platforms and delivers unmatched results for our affiliate and advertising partners. We look forward to celebrating many more milestones together!”
the organization. BFoA chair Scott Herman says, “We are honored to welcome Michael and Tim to the Broadcasters Foundation board of directors. Both are highly accomplished leaders whose careers reflect excellence, innovation, and a deep commitment to our industry. Their insights, relationships, and strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to grow awareness of the Foundation’s mission and ensure that broadcasters across the country know that help is available when they need it most.”
This bill, if passed, would: 1) Hold individuals or companies liable if they produce an unauthorized digital replica of an individual in a performance; 2) Hold platforms liable for hosting an unauthorized digital replica if the platform has actual knowledge of the fact that the replica was not authorized by the individual depicted; 3) Exclude certain digital replicas from coverage based on recognized First Amendment protections; and 4) Largely preempt State laws addressing digital replicas to create a workable national standard.
consumption (64%) comes from broadcast radio, yet up until today, it has lacked the targeting and measurement infrastructure available in digital. iHeartMedia’s broadcast radio stations reach more than 278 million consumers every month, and now with AudioGraph, for the first time, advertisers can plan, target, measure, and attribute that audience using privacy-safe, ID-informed insights with digital-like precision.”
Obama Presidential Center today (6/19) from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. The station says, “Juneteenth is more than a holiday. It is a celebration of freedom, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a people who transformed adversity into achievement and hope into progress. On this historic day, tune in as your favorite WVON hosts bring you live coverage, special guests, and community reflections from this momentous occasion.”
progressive perspective.” KBLA contributor Dr. Cornel West says, “Tavis Smiley’s programming fills a content vacuum across the United States and is needed more now than ever. Under Tavis’ bold leadership, KBLA and its program hosts have helped to influence, educate, and engage previously marginalized people across this country. I’m excited for what the future holds.” Smiley says, “Five years ago, on Juneteenth, we launched KBLA Talk 1580, with the goal of providing news and information to a part of Los Angeles that had been ignored or pushed to the side for decades. We’re now syndicated in almost 50 markets across the United States with more growth on the horizon. The best is truly yet to come.”
back if he leaves before the end of the term of the agreement. For each complete calendar year of the term of the deal, Thompson is eligible to receive an annual performance bonus of up to $300,000 with the opportunity to earn up to 132% of the target bonus for superior performance. Also, provided that the material weaknesses identified in the company’s Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2025, are remediated, at the end of the term of the Agreement, Thompson is eligible to receive bonus compensation in the amount of $850,000. He is also eligible to receive certain stock-based compensation. 
the availability of professional sports programming on free, over-the-air broadcast television. The resolution comes amid growing frustration among baseball fans over the increasing number of games being placed behind streaming paywalls and spread across multiple subscription services. Morano, who previously served as host of the late-night program on WABC, New York, states, “Baseball is America’s pastime, but in New York it’s also our pastime. For generations, families could turn on the television or radio and follow their hometown team. Today, fans are often expected to juggle multiple subscriptions and streaming platforms just to watch a season’s worth of games. That’s bad for consumers, bad for working families, bad for seniors, and ultimately bad for the future of the game itself.”
Channel’s live coverage begins on June 24 and concludes on Sunday, July 5, taking place from historic locations as the National Mall, Liberty State Park, Philadelphia, Mount Rushmore, and Teddy Roosevelt’s Presidential Library, among others. Throughout the network’s special coverage, “FOX & Friends,” “America’s Newsroom,” “America Reports,” “The Five,” “Special Report with Bret Baier,” “The Ingraham Angle,” “Jesse Watters Primetime,” “Gutfeld!,” “FOX & Friends Weekend,” “FOX News Live with Aishah Hasnie,” “FOX News Sunday,” “The Sunday Briefing” and “The Big Weekend Show” will all broadcast live from the National Mall as the nation’s capital hosts the event highlighting all 50 states as well as U.S. territories during the Great American State Fair.