Futuri Media is sounding the alarm that many marketers who lean on generative-AI tools such as ChatGPT to build media mixes are getting plans that omit broadcast radio entirely, a blind spot the company says could cost advertisers reach and revenue. In a briefing sent to agency partners this week, Futuri shared a series of simulated ad-planning prompts it entered into ChatGPT. When asked to recommend an “optimal cross-platform schedule for adults 25-54,” the model consistently served mixes heavy in streaming audio, social video, connected TV, and paid search—while allocating zero dollars to AM/FM.
Daniel Anstandig, Futuri’s founder and CEO, said the exercise began after several small-market stations reported losing buys that had previously included radio. “When we traced the workflow inside a few agencies, we discovered junior planners literally asking ChatGPT to ‘build me a plan,’ pasting the output into a deck, and moving on,” Anstandig said. “Because the underlying training data under-indexes broadcast audio, the model just leaves us out.”
Futuri’s test used identical prompts across three GPT-4-based platforms, including the public ChatGPT interface and two agency-focused plug-ins. In all cases the recommended spend for radio was either zero or under one percent. By contrast, the AI suggested an average 22 percent allocation to podcasting—a medium with far lower weekly reach than broadcast according to Nielsen’s latest Audio Today report.
Anstandig stressed he is “pro-AI” and noted Futuri’s own AudioAI platform relies on large language models. “The problem isn’t the technology; it’s the data you feed it,” he said. Futuri is now encouraging broadcasters to create syndicated prompt libraries that explicitly request local radio options, and it has released a free “Radio-Ready Prompt Pack” that stations can share with agencies.
The warning lands as budget setting for 2026 is ramping up. Several independent media strategists contacted by Futuri conceded that AI shortcuts are creeping into RFP work. One planner admitted that “radio falls off the list unless you force the model to consider it.” Futuri argues that stations must educate buyers quickly or risk being engineered out of the conversation before human judgment even enters the room.