Big Radio Data (BRD) Re-Appraised – From “Background Noise” to Insights

A new media analysis approach from Séissmo.

We use a combination of Artificial Intelligence and dashboard visualization with targeted qualitative approaches – to interrogate radio messages differently.

Uncover hidden narratives – evaluate content strategies – turn “Big Radio Data” (BRD) into societal intelligence!

In this radio news analysis, we shed light on the

1. role of the right-wing party AfD one month prior to the vote
2. influence of Donald Trump on the German political and ideological landscape
3. democratic values and what space remains for them

Since NATO was the subject of our last Seismograph study, (see here) , we also looked closer at the topic. Our data indicate there was no clear message about its role in this challenging period for the EU and the world at large.

More information on the narratives on German radio in the run-up to the election can be found in our report.

About the research:

Qualitative Research 2.0: AI-/LLM-based Media Extraction + ChatGPT + Qual. Deep-Dive

The following radio stations were analysed (300 hours in total):

Top5 Radio | Drive- and Prime-Time January 20 to January 31, 2025

1. RADIO NRW (private)
2. Bayern1 (public, Bayerischer Rundfunk)
3. WDR2 (public, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
4. SWR3 (public, Südwestrundfunk (SWR)
5. 1LIVE (public, WDR)

The data was prepared by AudioIndex (Vienna based technology startup, focusing on auditory media content with the help of AI) via automatic recording of the broadcast and automatic transcription, delivered in a dashboard allowing for search tools and a statistical analysis of the key words used.