The most discussed stories yesterday (12/17) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories yesterday (12/16) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories yesterday (12/15) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (12/8-12) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
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The most discussed stories yesterday (12/10) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Media Law, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer
The Problem Is No Longer Spotting a Joke. The Problem Is Spotting Reality
Every seasoned broadcaster or media creator has a radar for nonsense. You have spent years vetting sources, confirming facts, and throwing out anything that feels unreliable. The complication now is that artificial intelligence can wrap unreliable content in a polished package that looks and sounds legitimate.
This article is not aimed at people creating AI impersonation channels. If that is your hobby, nothing here will make you feel more confident about it. This is for the professionals whose job is to keep the information stream as clean as possible. You are not making deepfakes. You are trying to avoid stepping in them and trying even harder not to amplify them.
Once something looks real and sounds real, a significant segment of your audience will assume it is real. That changes the amount of scrutiny you need to apply. The burden now falls on people like you to pause before reacting.
Two Clips That Tell the Whole Story
Consider two current examples. The first is the synthetic Biden speech that appears all over social media. It presents a younger, steadier president delivering remarks that many supporters wish he would make. It is polished, convincing, and created entirely by artificial intelligence.
The second is the cartoonish Trump fighter jet video that shows him dropping waste on unsuspecting civilians. No one believes it is real. Yet both types of content live in the same online ecosystem and both get shared widely.
The underlying facts do not matter once the clip begins circulating. If you repeat it on the air without checking it, you become the next link in the distribution chain. Not every untrue clip is misinformation. People get things wrong without intending to deceive, and the law recognizes that. What changes here is the plausibility. When an artificial performance can fool a reasonable viewer, the difference between a mistake and a misleading impression becomes something a finder of fact sorts out later. Your audience cannot make that distinction in real time.
Parody and Satire Still Exist, but AI Is Blurring the Edges
Parody imitates a person to comment on that person. Satire uses the imitation to comment on something else. These categories worked because traditional impersonations were obvious. A cartoon voice or exaggerated caricature did not fool anyone.
A convincing AI impersonation removes the cues that signal it is a joke. It sounds like the celebrity. It looks like the celebrity. It uses words that fit the celebrity’s public image. It stops functioning as commentary and becomes a manufactured performance that appears authentic. That is when broadcasters get pulled into the confusion even though they had nothing to do with the creation.
When the Fake Version Starts Crowding Out the Real One
Public figures choose when and where to speak. A Robert De Niro interview has weight because he rarely gives them. A carefully planned appearance on a respected platform signals importance.
When dozens of artificial De Niros begin posting daily commentary, the significance of the real appearance is reduced. The market becomes crowded. Authenticity becomes harder to protect. This is not only a reputational issue. It is an economic one rooted in scarcity and control.
You may think you are sharing a harmless clip. In reality, you might be participating in the dilution of someone’s legitimate business asset.
Disclaimers Are Not Shields
Many deepfake channels use disclaimers. They say things like this is parody or this is not the real person. A parking garage can also post a sign that it is not responsible for damage to your car. That does not absolve them when something collapses on your vehicle.
A disclaimer that no one negotiates or meaningfully acknowledges does not protect the creator or the people who share the clip. If viewers believe it is real, the disclaimer (often hidden in plain sight) is irrelevant.
The Liability No One Expects: Damage You Did Not Create
You can become responsible for the fallout without ever touching the original video. If you talk about a deepfake on the air, share it on social media, or frame it as something that might be true, you help it spread. Your audience trusts you. If you repeat something inaccurate, even unintentionally, they begin questioning your judgment. One believable deepfake can undermine years of credibility.
Platforms Profit From the Confusion
Here is the structural issue that rarely gets discussed. Platforms have every financial incentive to push deepfakes. They generate engagement. Engagement generates revenue. Revenue satisfies stockholders. This stands in tension with the spirit of Section 230, which was designed to protect neutral platforms, not platforms that amplify synthetic speech they know is likely to deceive.
If a platform has the ability to detect and label deepfakes and chooses not to, the responsibility shifts to you. The platform benefits. You absorb the risk.
What Media Professionals Should Do
You do not need new laws. You do not need to give warnings to your audience. You do not need to panic. You do need to stay sharp.
Here is the quick test. Ask yourself four questions.
Is the source authenticated?
Has the real person ever said anything similar?
Is the platform known for synthetic or poorly moderated content?
Does anything feel slightly off even when the clip looks perfect?
If any answer gives you pause, treat the clip as suspect. Treat it as content, not truth.
Final Thought (at Least for Now)
Artificial intelligence will only become more convincing. Your role is not to serve as a gatekeeper. Your role is to maintain professional judgment. When a clip sits between obviously fake and plausibly real, that is the moment to verify and, when necessary, seek guidance. There is little doubt that the inevitable proliferation of phony internet “shows” is about to bloom into a controversial legal, ethical, and financial industry issue.
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@HarrisonMediaLaw.com or read more at TALKERS.com.
The most discussed stories yesterday (12/9) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
After years of service to the New York Festivals Radio Awards, TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison will
continue to be a member of the prestigious organization’s Advisory Board in 2026. Upon receiving this latest appointment (12/9), Harrison stated, “I am honored to be associated with this great group that continues to grow and inspire broadcasting artists and professionals around the world to achieve new levels of quality and positive societal influence – not to mention, unite and provide a sense of cohesiveness to the global media community.” The NY Festivals issued the statement about its Class of 2026: “We anticipate wonderful submissions from around the globe before the deadline. Our Storytellers Gala will salute Radio trophy winners in the spring. Combined with our TV & Film Winners, it will be a celebration of innovative storytellers across all platforms.” For more information, please click here.
The most discussed stories yesterday (12/8) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (12/1-5) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
The most discussed stories yesterday (12/3) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories yesterday (12/2) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories yesterday (12/1) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Although this story is about the holiday programming activities of a classic rock station, it can certainly apply to talk radio as well. 102.3 WBAB, Babylon – Long Island’s “Only Classic Rock” – tells TALKERS, it is proud to continue one of Long Island’s most beloved holiday traditions with the annual Thanksgiving Day broadcast of Arlo Guthrie’s iconic 18-minute and 34-second, “Alice’s Restaurant” (also known as “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”) in its entirety. Listeners can tune in on Thanksgiving Day at 9:00 am and again at 12:00 noon for this celebration of music, storytelling, history, and holiday spirit. Hosted by WBAB’s Rocky, this heritage tradition has become a staple for generations of Long Islanders. Families across Long Island are invited to gather around the radio and join WBAB for breakfast and lunch at “Alice’s Restaurant” – a festive, feel-good kickoff to Thanksgiving Day. “For decades, Long Islanders have made WBAB part of their Thanksgiving tradition, and ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ remains one of the most anticipated broadcasts of the year,” said Chris Lloyd, director of operations, branding and programming for station-owner, CMG Long Island. “We love being part of our listeners’ holiday celebrations, and we’re excited to bring this classic back once again.” Listeners can tune in on 102.3 WBAB, 95.3 on the East End or on the 102.3 WBAB app to join thousands of households enjoying this annual musical and spoken word moment. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, who, along with Richard Neer, played the song as a contemporary Thanksgiving tradition back in the early 70s on WLIR, Long Island and WNEW-FM, New York, says, “I really admire WBAB for maintaining the cultural relevance of this largely spoken word piece of history and would do the same thing on talk radio if I were programming a station today. Holidays give us all a great opportunity to expand our programming heritage and cultural boundaries. This one is hiding in plain sight.”
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/25) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Yesterday (11/24), TALKERS reported a story about a caller to a radio station telling the hosts he’d found a dead body near his campsite. We incorrectly reported that the radio station was WBAL-AM, Baltimore. The station he called was, in fact, DC101 in Washington. WBAL simply reported the story. TALKERS regrets the error.
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/24) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (11/17-21) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/19) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/18) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/17) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (11/10-14) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/12) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/11) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Government Reopening Deal / Air Travel Chaos
Trump-Ingraham Interview
MAGA Youth and Anti-Semitism
ICE Raids
Grijalva Swearing In / Epstein Files Release Battle
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/10) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (11/3-7) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.