The Kids Aren't So Alright Anymore and General Miscellany

Baby Boomers are feeling left behind by today's TV programmers and advertisers. According to a recent study by Harris Interactive, folks in the 49+ demo feel "alienated" by what's on their TVs these days; both the shows and the ads.

Depending on what you watch and where you watch it, they may be justified. There are a lot of shows and, accordingly, a lot of ads that are targeted towards a much younger demographic than those of the boomer generation. As described in an article by the AP's David Bauder:

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.

I've never been able to see the logic in the second part of that statement. People in the 18-24 range are, in my mind, less apt to watch as much TV as those in the 55-64 range. Not only that, but 18 to 24 yr olds have a heck of lot less discretionary income. So why pay a premium to reach people who aren't as reachable or as able to afford your product? And as far as preferences are concerned, everyone has favorite brands, but when money is tight (which it usually is when your in your late teens/early 20s) price is usually all that matters. Find the biggest dolt in any college dorm and he'll know you get a better deal buying a case of Milwaukee's Best than a 12 pack of Sam Adam's. What's more is that's he's probably never seen a commercial for the "beast".

The results of the study are prompting some in the industry to question whether the above ratios make sense anymore. But while programming execs and marketing agents need to consider whether they are willing to alienate their biggest demographic just on the hope that they can create brand loyalty among a smaller group of viewers, they should also consider the words of Evan Shapiro, head of the Independent Film Channel:

"If you are a 50-year-old male or female, there is an enormous amount of television for you. It's just not on all the places that it used to be."

You know what? He's right. I stopped whining years ago about how crappy MTV had become and just accepted I was no longer part of the channel's target market. Besides, there are other channels that do what MTV used to do, and who do it better. Twenty years ago that might not have been true, and though the major networks are still behind the curve in orignial and innovative models of programming, the niche programming provided by cable allows for unheard of possibilities for both viewers and advertisers.

Miscellaneous Notes

• ABC has put "The Nine" on indefinite hiatus. They say the show will return, but are not forthcoming as to when.

• For those who still watch, and I'm not one of them, tonight is the fall finale of "Prison Break". New episodes should return in January to coincide with the start of the sixth season of "24".

• "Scrubs" returns for it's sixth season Thursday night following "30 Rock", for which NBC requested three more scripts. Let's hope they request additional episodes.