August 18, 2008

TV Networks Awaken to Young Voters

Posted by Sarah Burris at 9:45AM

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Reprints
• Share

I did an interview last week with the Voice of America where I vented my frustrations about news outlets not reporting or misreporting the Youth Movement. The Sunday New York Times has a great article that talks about problems network news outlets are having in both covering the movement as well as attracting a younger viewing audience.

I try to be a polished blogger and bring you facts and info that is useful but it's moments like these when I just want to say: Duh!

"The median age for the three evening newscasts is 60.5"

Ouch! When I asked a friend who doesn't watch network news why he said that it's targeted to 75 year olds with a 7th grade education. Attracting a young audience and talking about the Youth Movement aren't the same thing nor will one lead to the other.

Interestingly enough, the same day that the NYT ran this piece they also ran a piece about Jon Stewart saying that in a 2007 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Stewart ranked fourth among journalists they most admired. He was tied with the likes of Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, and Brian Williams.

"At a time when Fox, MSNBC and CNN routinely mix news and entertainment, larding their 24-hour schedules with bloviation fests and marathon coverage of sexual predators and dead celebrities, it’s been "The Daily Show" that has tenaciously tracked big, "super depressing" issues like the cherry-picking of prewar intelligence, the politicization of the Department of Justice and the efforts of the Bush White House to augment its executive power."

The NYT article points out that big networks are trying to make small efforts to reach younger viewers. NBC has hired Luke Russert, son of former host of Meet the Press Tim Russert who died a few months. Fox news has the Y Factor, CNN has the League of First Time Voters.

I think talking about the Youth Movement is great. But covering young people does not automatically create a following of young viewers.

People watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report because they deal with real issues in a way that isn't as difficult to deal with. The quote on Stewart says it well:

"In a time when major news outlets are beholden to shareholders, advertisers, and some are owned by ideologue, I think the one thing young people crave is authenticity and an honest discussion of issues. Focusing on what's actually going on in our country rather than what we want to believe is going on is a one place to begin. Doing it in an engaging way with an anchor who isn't afraid to get a little silly with some of the most powerful people in the world is another big plus."

Anchors that are engaging and a little closer to the target demographic might help. I'll take Luke Russert over Lou Dobbs any day of the week, but if the anchor isn't qualified to discuss complex issues and are only eye candy, young viewers will see through it.

I asked some friends if they watch the nightly news and all said no. Those who watch the Daily Show or the Colbert Report said it was just more entertaining. Those who work in politics saw no real need to watch the nightly news after a full day of reading the news online. One person even said of the Daily Show that it offered a different perspective to the "objective" news and it allows us to see the news from a different angle.

Talking about young people won't get young viewers. Talking about things young people care about will.

"Tiffany Wilson, 23, a graduate managing editor of the college journalist Web site Palestra.net, has appeared on the Fox News Channel more than 50 times in the past year, frequently to talk about the election. “Young people want to see their peers on television,” she said.

I encourage news outlets searching for ways to expand their programming to be more inclusive of young people, to look at their successes and failures, and think outside the box. When reporting the Youth Movement the best bet is to talk to an expert on the Youth Movement who does this day in and day out. Not necessarily to assume that because someone is 18 that they know what the Youth Movement is or is any kind of expert on trends among their generation. I love the X-Files, but it doesn't mean I am an FBI agent.

Any news outlet that would like to understand this better should feel free to contact me for further information.