The artificial intelligence craze has come for the local television news set.
Later this month, Texas television station KSAT (Channel 12, ABC) will debut a new 1 p.m. newscast that uses artificial intelligence voices for some story teases while keeping reporters and a weather forecaster at the center of the program.
The new show, called “The Rundown,” will follow the station’s traditional newscast at noon, with a half-hour of local news, weather and sports broadcast on-air and streaming online, starting September 14.
The format will differ from a traditional local newscast: Rather than having studio anchors introduce each report, journalists will largely present stories from the field. A human weather anchor will provide live forecasts, while an AI-generated voice will be used for some connective teases.
“This is a new content led show, fronted by our anchor/reporter stories from our community – with live local weather,” a spokesperson told reporters last week, adding that the newscast “won’t have a traditional feel with anchors starting each story off.”
KSAT already uses AI in newsroom workflows and framed the new program as a way to expand distribution of locally produced reporting. The station has tested the format in a limited degree during a 5:30 p.m. newscast that streams online; that format will be reused for “The Rundown” when it debuts next Monday.
The Rundown is the latest use of artificial intelligence by KSAT parent company Graham Media Group, and comes at a time when local news broadcasters are looking for ways to harness the technology to deliver news and information to reporters while giving broadcasters another solution to help them cut down on employee-related expenses.
The E. W. Scripps Company has experimented with artificial intelligence and novel forms of news broadcasting, with mixed results. A recent relaunch of its Baltimore-area local news broadcasts has been widely panned by members of the community and online commenters.
