What AI is for — and what it isn’t
We live here. We work here. Our kids play on the same fields and we stand in the same grocery lines. As a small, veteran-owned local media company, our future is tied to yours. That’s why our approach to AI is simple: use it to serve people, not replace them.
AI is a productivity tool that helps our team do more of the work only humans can do: reporting the local story, shaking hands with business owners, showing up at games, parades, and fundraisers.
AI will not be used as a justification for eliminating local jobs. We won’t use it to replace our on-air talent or newsroom. Our people are what make this operation local, and that’s not changing.
How we use AI to make your experience better
Hyper-local service: We use tools that help us anticipate what matters here — like pairing real-time, street-level weather data with community calendars to offer smarter updates before that after-work softball game gets rained out, or to redirect folks to a covered venue.
Faster, clearer info: We use AI for transcription, research assist, and first-draft summaries so our team can publish school closings, road conditions, and breaking local news faster — always reviewed and approved by a human editor before air or post.
Better small-business support: We use AI to help local advertisers create more polished copy and spec spots quickly, then refine them with a real producer so your favorite shops sound as good as they are.
Accessibility: We use AI to generate captions and audio versions of community content so more neighbors can access what we create.
Guardrails you can count on
Human in the loop: Every piece of content that bears our name is approved by a person who lives here.
Transparency: If AI meaningfully contributes to something you hear or see, we’ll say so.
Voice protection: We won’t clone the voice of any staff member or community member without their explicit written permission.
Your data, respected: We don’t sell your personal data to third parties. Like most media companies, we do use audience data to serve relevant advertising — that’s how we keep local news free and accessible. Any AI tools or vendors we work with must meet our standards for privacy, security, and responsible use.
Local first: Critical community functions — news judgment, public-safety messaging, school and civic coverage — remain human-led.
Jobs, training, and opportunity
Local jobs commitment: We won’t use AI as a reason to cut local positions. When roles evolve — and they will, as all jobs do — we’ll invest in helping our people grow with them.
Reskill and upskill: We’ll train our people to use new tools, and we’ll invest in internships and early-career roles so local students can learn modern media skills here at home.
Fair work: When AI saves time, we’ll reinvest those gains into better journalism, more community coverage, and more live local moments — not into cutting corners.
Why this matters
Adding AI for AI’s sake might pad short-term profits. That’s not our plan. We believe investing in people and community pays the lasting dividends: stronger local businesses, trusted information, and a shared culture that makes this place home.
Hold us accountable
If you ever have questions about how we’re using AI — or ideas for how we can serve you better — call us, email us, stop by the studio, or flag us down at the next game. This is your station as much as ours, and we intend to earn that trust every day.
— A small, veteran-owned local media company committed to good local jobs and great local service.