Coyotec, an AI cohost on LA's José 97.5 FM, is tied to a jump in young listeners. Its makers say audiences connect with it, and it won't be the last.
A radio station in Los Angeles has put an AI character on its weekday morning show, and the station says young listeners are tuning in. The character is called Coyotec. It speaks Spanish and English, curses, and talks openly about immigrants' rights. It cohosts a show on José 97.5 FM with a human broadcaster.
Coyotec started in September 2025 with a solo weekend show. It now cohosts Al Aire y Sin Permiso with Geraldine "GeeGee" Guzman, weekdays from 8 to 10 am. The show replaced a syndicated program. Since August, it also airs in five more markets across California, Nevada and Texas, with more English mixed in.
Entravision, the company that owns the station, wanted its voices to support immigrants during a tense time. Station leader Maytorena said the team felt helpless. An AI host could speak freely without facing personal consequences. Coyotec's posts include Instagram messages in Spanish and guidance on what to know if ICE knocks at your door.
Entravision's AI chief, LeaAnna Hernandez, named the parts. Claude Haiku generates the live responses. ElevenLabs creates the voice. ChatGPT helped write early scripts. Midjourney helped design its look. Coyotec can answer Guzman in real time. It cannot take calls or reply to listeners on air yet.
These figures come from Nielsen ratings shared by Entravision, not an independent review. In Los Angeles, Hispanic listenership rose 21.6 percent from August to September 2026.
The reporter found Coyotec sounded natural in conversation. On the recording, though, its voice never changed. It was very measured, which the reporter called a distinctly inhuman quality. Guzman says it is not perfect, but listeners like it. She also says it can be moody and sometimes refuses her instructions. Staff say Coyotec knows it is not human.
The material does not say how much of the growth comes from Coyotec itself, or whether other stations will copy the idea. It also does not say when Coyotec might take listener calls. Maytorena put the key question this way: technology can create the character, but the audience decides if it matters.
AI voices are arriving on everyday radio, so listen for a voice that never changes tone and cannot take calls.
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