AI Didn’t Replace Me — It Unlocked My Creativity

When I was a teen and a young adult, I loved driving through bigger cities.

Not for the skyline. For the radio.

That’s where I heard radio done right. The commercials had voices that sounded polished and pleasant. The imaging had that bigger-than-life shine. Everything between the songs felt like it belonged on a major stage. And the announcers? They sounded excited. They had stuff to say.

For a long time in this business, having a smooth, “radio” voice felt like the price of admission.

And I’ll never forget the day a PD told me my production voice was “deficient.”

That word stuck. It hurt—because unlike so many other things in my career that I could sharpen with practice, this felt like something I was born with. I could build a great show. I could write. I could connect with listeners. I could be creative, interactive, and consistent. But I couldn’t just wake up one day and swap out my voice.

Here’s the twist: the latest AI tools changed the game.

Now I can create imaging and production that hits with the kind of polish I used to only hear when I drove through big markets. And I don’t have to rely on the one thing I was told I couldn’t “fix.”

Even better—these tools don’t just help me. They help any station, in any market, with any budget, sound bigger than the zip code. That matters right now, because a lot of radio is being asked to do more with less.

What I love most is this: you don’t have to be limited by anything except your willingness to learn and create.

I can build voices that sound as good as anything that’s ever been behind a pro mic—but still deliver my inflection, my timing, my storytelling. A lack of a booming “radio voice” doesn’t have to block the emotion I’m trying to put across.

And honestly? That’s lit a new fire in me.

Because now it’s not just imaging and spots. I can take the melodies and lyrics I write and turn them into jingles that add real value to a client’s message. The kind of thing that makes people remember you. The kind of thing that helps sales close annuals.

I spend my spare time learning new techniques and tightening the craft, because I’m chasing something simple: creating value for radio stations and small businesses that are trying to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

That’s why I launched SonicAttention.com.

It's not my day job. I still love being the Operations Manager for five radio stations in Albany, Georgia—and I’ve seen firsthand what this kind of creative can do for local sales. I’ve seen clients light up again… the ones who had basically given up on ever being excited about their radio spots.

Sonic Attention gives me another outlet to turn the miracle of modern tech into something useful—and fun—and profitable—for businesses and radio sellers all across the country.

And I’m not coming at this with “agency rates.” I’ll even do spec spots and not get paid a dime unless the client buys.

That’s how sure I am this works.

This new tech can do some amazing things. It’s helping radio fight back after layoffs and downsizing. It’s helping talent build stronger, tighter content. And it’s helping guys like me—guys who were told we had a “deficient voice”—sound better than we ever thought possible.

I’m more excited than ever about radio and my place in it.

Every day, the future gets a little better.

For more information, email me: joecrashkelley1@gmail.com