Weather forecast at the touch of a button - our AI in action at a radio station
WHO COMMISSIONED US?
We were commissioned by a regional market leader in broadcasting. The task was to fundamentally modernize and accelerate the process of daily weather moderation for their weather editorial department.
WHAT WAS THE STATUS QUO?
Previously, the presenters manually researched the current weather indicators (temperature, precipitation, wind, UV index, etc.) from various data sources in the morning, and in some cases they received the current data via weather APIS. They then formulated individual weather texts in radio style. This process was time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies.
What goals did we have in mind?
As part of our project, we had a clear vision: to automate and optimize weather announcements for radio stations. The focus was on several key objectives:
One key aspect was to automate the entire process. The aim was to generate weather announcements entirely on the basis of current measured values without the need for manual intermediate steps. This should not only save time, but also ensure that the content is consistent and up-to-date. The integration of a reliable weather API was specified as the technical basis for the project. This had to be able to provide all key figures such as temperature, precipitation, wind, air pressure and UV index in order to create a precise and up-to-date database for the weather forecasts. The security and stability of the system were also key requirements. The handling of weather data had to be GDPR-compliant in order to guarantee data protection. A robust infrastructure was also required to ensure live operation without interruptions, even with a high server load.
The solution also had to offer a high degree of flexibility. The radio stations needed to be able to adapt the length and style of the announcements to their specific needs and target groups. This customizability should be possible via simple configurations. Finally, regionality was an important part of the specifications. The weather AI was to regularly select different, sometimes smaller locations from the broadcasting area in order to emphasize the proximity to the listeners and strengthen the bond with the radio station.
Context sensitivity was also an essential part of the requirements. The weather announcements had to be able to take into account relevant local and temporal characteristics, such as public holidays, long weekends or special events. The aim was to make the announcements context-related and particularly useful for listeners.
Another important aspect was radio tonality. The weather announcements were to be lively, humorous and appealing in order to reflect the style of the radio presenters. It was determined that the texts should not only be informative, but also entertaining and listener-oriented in order to strengthen listener loyalty.
How we solved this
In order to meet the defined specifications and achieve the objectives, we relied on a combination of state-of-the-art technology and customized solutions. At the heart of this was the integration of our proven GPT4YOU framework. This framework was specifically designed to create automated weather announcements based on the data supplied.
A renowned weather API was connected to provide the necessary weather data, which delivers all relevant information such as temperature, precipitation, wind speed, air pressure and UV index in real time. This data forms the basis for generating precise and up-to-date weather forecasts. The AI has been equipped with specially developed system instructions . These instructions were designed to generate broadcast-ready, concise and listener-oriented texts from the raw data. It was ensured that the style corresponded to the radio station's specifications and that the content was formulated in a lively and entertaining way.
To ensure context sensitivity, we implemented logic that automatically recognizes public holidays, long weekends and special events. The AI is able to incorporate these conditions into the weather announcements, for example by saying something like "Perfect beach weather for the Father's Day outing!".
The entire solution was developed in such a way that it can be flexibly adapted to the needs of radio stations. Configurable system prompts allow the style and length of weather announcements to be customized. Compliance with the highest security standards, including GDPR-compliant data processing and a stable infrastructure, has ensured that the solution can be used reliably and securely in live operation. By integrating a random selection of locations from the broadcasting area, the AI ensures that even smaller locations are regularly mentioned in the weather announcements. This strengthens listeners' loyalty to the radio station and underlines their regional ties.
The result is made available via a web UI, where editors can call up the finished original sound at the touch of a button - including export as an audio script or directly as a segment for broadcast automation. These measures made it possible to create an innovative and powerful solution that meets all defined requirements and offers radio stations a modern, automated and flexible platform for weather announcements. With this solution, we have not only reduced the daily preparation effort by over 80%, but also significantly increased the consistency and quality of the weather presentations. At the same time, the system can be expanded at any time to include new features (e.g. regional micro-forecasts or special announcements on severe weather situations).
