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Seeking the Fountain of Youth
March 12, 2002

Whether it's a football team, a record store, or a news company, the one thing behind any successful business is money.

And the topic of how to make more money while explaining the news is a real puzzle many newsrooms are trying to solve.

Where is the audience

So-called "traditional" media, like television news, newspapers, magazines, and radio reports, are suffering from a serious drop in the number of people tuning in and reading their version of the news.

Older viewers tune in because they started the habit years ago. And if there is major news, people might tune in at night or pick up the morning paper. But the once-a-day fix doesn't work for most people - especially younger news audiences.

More and more studies are showing that young audiences, both teenagers and the 18-34 age group, are seeking smaller bits of news more often during the day. Newer media like the Internet are increasing in popularity for news and the older news providers are trying to get in on the action.

News experiments

For example, CBS News (who produces the news magazine "48 Hours") has done two shows with MTV, and VH-1's pop entertainment stories are regularly sent to local television stations.

Another national example is CNN's "Headline News" program, which changed its look and feel last year with flashier graphics, younger anchors, and stories chosen specifically because of their interest to younger viewers.

Television critics thought the changes were horrible and wrote very negative reviews. Many younger viewers disagree, evidently, because the show's ratings are up 104 percent among 18- to 34-year-olds.

Youth = money

So why this search for youth?

Companies are extremely interested in seeking out new groups of 18-34 year-olds who will see their advertisements and buy their products.

Advertisers pay double or even triple their regular advertising rates if they can reach the 18-34 age group. They will pay because that group is hard to reach and has not yet settled on favorite products.

Many advertisers also regard younger viewers as trendsetters and early adopters -- people who are key to building a new brand and gaining widespread acceptance of a product.

Younger audiences are just "starting out" in life and if they find a product they like early, they might continue to buy it for many years, according to Tim Spengler, vice president for a large advertising firm that buys ads on both the David Letterman and Ted Koppel shows.

So chances are high that whatever television news program you watch, or print media you read, they will be searching for ways to draw in people like you and your friends.

What would make you read or watch the news? Let us know in our online forum.

-- By Samara Aberman, NewsHour Extra