Georgia’s first business radio station Commersant has once again become the first in the field by introducing an AI-generated reporter.

“Our project Aria is created entirely by artificial intelligence. Both the text and the visuals of Aria are generated by neural networks,” Director of Commersant Goga Samushia told Golden Brand.

Below Samushia talks about the latest developments at Commersant and appreciates partnership with the country’s most prestigious and influential business award ceremony, the Golden Brand.

Q. What are other developments at Commersant?

A. Commersant maintains the position of one of the main business media in Georgia. We are the first business radio in the country, soon to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary. In the course of this time we have established a reputation as authoritative, objective and cutting-edge media.

We have a new editor-in-chief at Commersant. Journalist and executive director of the NGO Media and Communication Educational and Research Center, Teona Tshomelidze, joined our team several months ago.

Among the already successful projects at Commersant, I can mention Brand Georgia and Neyron. Levan Koberidze and Levan Bodzashvili are headliners in their field.

We have also updated our website, which, in addition to the new design, meets all modern technological requirements.

Q. How developed is the radio sector in Georgia and how much has Commersant contributed to this process?

A. In the era of digital technology and the internet, radio remains one of the essential components of media. Although there are many radio stations in the country, the role of Commersant is particularly important because we have been the only business radio station in Georgia for almost two decades.

We create unique content for radio, which is important and interesting not only to ordinary listeners, but also for the business sector.

Q. What are the challenges in the radio sector currently?

A. The main problem of the sector in Georgia is the small advertising market. Increasing competition with social media platforms is also a challenge.

We found a solution by fully integrating the radio with our website and social platforms. This gives us the opportunity not to be limited only to radio broadcasting.

My main recommendation is that radio broadcasters should adapt to the modern digital world.

Q. Last year, the total commercial advertising revenue of TV and radio broadcasters decreased by 7.6% compared to the previous year ⁠— 79.9 million GEL. Is this related to the ban on gambling advertisements?

A. The ban on gambling advertising was indeed a significant loss for the Georgian advertising market. Commersant is no exception, and after these changes our advertising revenues also decreased.

In addition, as I have already mentioned, social media platforms have become an important competitor for traditional media. This is one of the reasons for the decrease in commercial advertising revenues of TV and radio broadcasters this year.

Q. Commersant is a partner of Golden Brand. Why doesCommersant support this event?

A. Supporting the Golden Brand has become a tradition for us. This partnership is particularly important given our profile, which is business radio holding.

This award is a kind of summary of the year with all our partners. The existence of the Golden Brand is very beneficial for Georgian business. This is an incentive to create more brands, more projects and more businesses. That is why Commersant Media Holding has always been and will remain a supporter of this award ceremony.