SEARCHING FOR YOUTH

March 2002
		How are media organizations changing the formats of their news to appeal to a younger audience? CNN Headline News anchor Robin Meade and Carl Gottlieb of the Project for Excellence in Journalism respond to your questions. Click here to see how teens feel about news organizations' quest for youth. (From Online NewsHour Extra for students.)

Forum introduction Will the increasing speed of news delivery diminish communication? How are young people responding to news? How can news organizations keep from watering down their content? Will the push for a younger audience spark more media convergence? What can news organizations do to better appeal to young people?     Online Special: Media Watch March 1, 2002: News organizations' attempts to woo younger viewers. May 10, 1999: Worries about violence in the media and their effects on youth.

In recent years, many media organizations have been searching for a fountain of youth, a way to attract the financially powerful and advertiser-friendly 18-to-34 age group. Some news outlets, such as CNN's Headline News and the USA Weekend newspaper, have set their sights specifically on younger viewers. But newsroom managers like USA Weekend's Executive Editor Jack Curry say part of the process is ensuring the quest for youthful readers doesn't end up pushing away older consumers. "Newspapers...be they in Chicago, be they in Asheville, be they in Honolulu, face the same problem: How do we get this new generation of reader to our publication without completely alienating the people that make up our core business?" he told the NewsHour. It's a problem Headline News confronted when it switched its focus to younger viewers during a multimillion-dollar relaunch last year. Critics blasted the network for its fast-paced delivery and its multitude of screen graphics, but Headline News ratings are up 104 percent among 18-to 34-year-olds since the switch. "They can dip in and they can dip out, all throughout the day," Teya Ryan, the creator of the new Headline News, said of the network's viewers. "[Viewers can] get what they want, and move on with their lives." What will the targeting of younger viewers mean for the content of publications and programs? Is the news media heading toward a faster-paced style of delivery and presentation? Does this style really appeal to young people? CNN Headline News anchor Robin Meade and Carl Gottlieb of the Project for Excellence in Journalism respond to your questions.

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