eLifespaces

Losing more that 565 thousand viewers during 2009 (and soon the loss of our household in 2010), the “big three” network news groups appear to be out-of-touch with their audience. If the news weren’t depressing enough, we become bombarded with drug commercials more depressing than the news itself, discussing each drugs respective side affects (including depression, suicide, heart attach, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.). And if this weren’t bad enough, the sheer proportion of news versus commercials had grown out of whack. So tonight (6/22/2010), while the children were away at camps and other summer activities, we sat when pen and paper and documented the news broadcast. Here is what we found…

Locals news: 56% content / 44% commercials. National news: 64% content / 36% commercials. See table below.

At the local level, we were introduced to six (6) news stories, local weather, sports, and a human interest story. Unfortunately, this was mixed with 28 commercials (12 car/truck; 5 contracting; 3 real estate; 3 TV show promotions and 5 other). At the national level, we were introduced to five (5) news and one human interest story accompanied by 24 commercial (13 pharmaceutical; 4 TV show promotions and 7 other).

News divisions have failed for years to attract additional younger viewers to their evening programs. Reviewing the above, it remains to be seen how they will reverse this trend. By allowing such a heavy concentration of advertisements by automobile and pharmaceutical companies to their core demographics, the networks have alienated a younger viewing audience. Most 25-35 & 35-45 year old segments do not care about over active bladders, TTP (whatever the heck that is!), constipation, strokes, heart attacks, and more. And with younger children present, most will cut this programming off with discussing erectile dysfunction and other aliments. Allured by the big pharmaceutical advertising budgets, network executives find themselves on slippery slope – needing the money while loosing the audience. And then again, maybe this is by design.

Interestingly from 2004 to 2009, the median age of news viewers increased from 60 (in 2004) to 62 (in 2009). Keep in mind the entire audience grew five years older. The largest segment is the +55 group with ~ 850K viewers, followed by my group (ages 25-54) with ~250K, then the 18-24 with less than 100K viewers. Information obtained from Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism [http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/].

Each evening, better described in that of a Norman Rockwell painting, my family enjoys dinner with the evening news playing in the background. It is a way for my wife and me to help interpret world events with our children while allowing them a forum in which to develop their own opinions. After a pragmatic review of the content we have allowed into our home and into the minds of our children, we believe this household is due for a change.

While we are in a minority of viewing groups, the audience skew just shifted one more tick older. Although our move away may not represent a measurable difference in the audience composition measured by Nielson and other rating agencies, it hard to believe that we are not alone.