Posted on 11/19/2006 8:53:37 PM PST by Snickering Hound
NEW YORK — Americans born between 1946 and 1964 are accustomed to being catered to, but that's not the case with much of television today. Now there's some new evidence that they're finding this mighty irritating.
A study conducted by Harris Interactive suggests that the television industry's obsession with youth is backfiring.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they believe that most TV programming and advertising is targeted toward people under 40, the survey said. More than 80 percent of adults over 40 say they have a hard time finding TV shows that reflect their lives.
A significant number of baby boomers — 37 percent — say they aren't happy with what's on television, according to the study.
"The amount of people dissatisfied with television overall was a pretty big eye-opening thing for us," said Larry Jones, president of the TV Land cable network, which commissioned the study.
To a certain extent, the generation that decades ago warned against trusting people over 30 can blame itself for the predicament. The TV industry's slavish devotion to ratings within the 18-to-49-year-old demographic started when most baby boomers fit into that group.
The theory among advertisers is that it's important to reach young people as their preferences are forming — get them hooked on a certain toothpaste or soda early and they'll be hooked for life. Advertisers will pay a premium for young viewers: $335 for every thousand people in the 18-to-24 age range that a network delivers, for example. Viewers aged 55-to-64 are worth only $119 for every thousand, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That's why ABC and NBC conduct all of their business with advertisers in the 18-to-49 demo. From a financial standpoint, if you're 50 or over, you mean nothing to those networks' executives. For Fox, the CW, MTV, BET and countless other networks, even 40 is too old.
The peak year for births within the baby boom, Jones noted, was 1957 — meaning all those people are turning 49 this year.
Much of the television industry isn't aging with them.
"They've just never changed or haven't realized that the population has moved on," said Randy Berkowitz, vice president of research for Combe Inc., which makes health products and beauty aids.
Berkowitz believes that "people are just not in tune with TV because they can't relate to it anymore."
Jones, who's 46, said he wants to come home at night and see an entertainment program that appeals to his sensibilities. Some people may find Paris Hilton funny on "The Simple Life," for example — not him.
To a surprising extent, advertising is also alienating. The Harris Interactive study found that half of baby boomers say they tune out commercials that are clearly aimed at young people. An additional one-third said they'd go out of their way NOT to buy such a product.
"I'm not saying that every show, every network should reshape, but that's an awfully high level of dissatisfaction among the largest generation group of all time," said Ken Dychtwald, a psychologist who worked with Harris Interactive on the study. (Harris conducted an online survey of 4,220 adults between April 28-May 15 this year, with a sampling error of plus or minus 1.5 percent).
Some advertisers have responded to the aging population. Financial services firms, for example, see many potential customers advancing toward retirement. Two decades ago drug companies didn't advertise on TV; now you could fill a medicine cabinet with all the products hawked on the evening news.
But these were cases where the companies making these products saw the opportunity, not necessarily the TV industry, Berkowitz said.
TV Land's Jones is already using the survey in his business. The results have convinced him that, more than ever, his network of mostly classic TV shows should be boomer-centric, he said. He also comes armed with the survey when he meets with the Madison Avenue types who buy advertising time.
One statistic he's sure to cite: The survey found 51 percent of the postwar generation describe themselves as "open to new ideas." Meanwhile, only 12 percent of young adults think the older folks feel that way.
Why does that matter? Jones said the average media buyer or planner is under 30. Many are undoubtedly hired for their know-how in appealing to a specific generation, and it isn't the baby boomers.
"There is this huge perception versus reality situation in the marketplace," he said.
Jones is pushing the idea of a "middlescence," about 40-to-59-year-olds who don't feel young anymore but don't feel old, and have plenty of discretionary income.
With the continued carving of the television audience into smaller slices because of all the networks on the air, the chance for advertisers to reach particular niches increases, said Evan Shapiro, who had his own marketing firm and is now head of the Independent Film Channel. Shapiro, 37, doesn't buy the idea that there's nothing on TV for older viewers.
"If you are a 50-year-old male or female, there is an enormous amount of television for you," he said. "It's just not on all the places that it used to be."
Still, Shapiro said he senses that marketers are slowly waking up to the potential in older TV viewers.
But by the time it happens, the children of the baby boomers will be the focus, making their parents even more irrelevant in television's eyes, he said.
Judging from the commercials I see, Gen X and Gen Y can't get enough of watching MORONS. That, or people who's priorities are so out of alignment that they are willing to center their entire lives around a particular beer, truck, etc.
We're told that companies spend millions in focus group testing before showing us ads like the two morons in the Sonic commercials or the Geico caveman seeking therapy. So who is it that thought these ads were brilliant and what mental institution do they come from?
I think I watched that a few times. Guess it didn't make a very big impression on me. lol
"Except for "South Park," I don't watch any current shows on TV. "
Yep.
At least while "24" and "The Shield" are on hiatus.
Maybe I will check out the movie. I did see the cast listing. I wouldn't necessarily limit the possibilities to the rating on IMDB but it is a terrific resource for info.
There are some gems. But for the most part, there isn't too much I'd watch. There are serveral channels and its shows that are strictly off-limits.
Good Lord! A cartoon I like just turned anti-Bush! Real smart @$$holes.
Well, that's the problem. The commercials are completely misrepresenting the show. They are trying to sell it to teenage girls, and it is a gritty noir show. It is far from stupid.
Ain't it the truth? Just the past couple of years we've found some TV shows worth watching with our teenage and young adult kids. We watch "24", "House", "Bones", "CSI", and when we can remember they're on, "Eureka" and "Monk". This the most TV we've watched in YEARS!
When the kids were little, they watched some educational shows, but we NEVER got them into the habit of sitcoms and crap like that. Most of them were either way too silly, or way too mature for their ages. The main thing was, we didn't want them thinking that the smart-aleck attitudes of the kids they saw was acceptable behavior.
I am 21 and find my self watching Leave it to Beaver, Andy Griffith, and Little House on the Prarie more then anything on the alphabet networks. I think many people just want to watch things which remind us of simpler times even if we didn't expiercne them.
I forgot about "Heroes". Our kids got into that, and have gotten us interested. It's what we watch on Mondays since "24" isn't back on yet.
I think it is the main networks ABC, NBC and CBS where the programming is the worse. Mindless and lazy that is what Hollywood has become. They either use old plots or violence and sex to try to be entertaining.
Nor am I. If you remember the storyline last year that had Lex running against Jonathan for the state senate seat, they never mention parties even once. However, it was obvious that Lex was the big-business, anti-environment Republican, while Jonathan was the pro-environment Democrat. It wasn't overt, though.
I think they mentioned that the school was closed down due to the events of Dark Thursday or Dark Tuesday or whatever it was.
Oh, okay. That makses sense.
HEROES rocks! :)
The only show I watch that is on broadcast is Law and Order SVU and CI. Other than that it is History Channel and TV Land, plus Monk.
I'm still waiting for Allison's MAXIM layout, and you know it's coming. ;)
Yeah, what YOU said!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.