Future of Commercial TV

I've known for a while that the cable news audience skews elderly: the median age for MSNBC is 62, (ditto for CNN). The Fox News viewer is a bit older (and wiser) at 68.

What I didn't know is that the #1 rated show on cable news has the oldest audience of all. Bill O'Reilly's viewers have a median age of 72! Wow, half his audience is in their 70s 80s, or 90s. It just makes me wonder what the cable news audience will look like in 5 or 10 years.

O'Reilly himself is basically a teenager, since he's only 64.

Quote: reno

What I didn't know is that the #1 rated show on cable news has the oldest audience of all. Bill O'Reilly's viewers have a median age of 72! Wow, half his audience is in their 70s 80s, or 90s. It just makes me wonder what the cable news audience will look like in 5 or 10 years.

I remember Tom Leykis once saying how Mr. O's audience was very old. I think the older folks like his for-the-folks, middle-of-the-road style.

FNC has a double-edged sword on its hand, they are like GM in the 1980s. Control of the best market now, but how do you replace them as they literally die off?

Quote: reno

O'Reilly himself is basically a teenager, since he's only 64.

And Jon Stewart is only 51. Sometimes I think Bill O'Reilly means that old people want their news with opinions, but it also seems that young people want their news with opinions as well. I guess plain old fashion objective reporting is so yesterday.

Saw You Only Live Twice on NetF. Hadn't
seen it in 45 years. It's 1967 and Bond is
in Japan in a car that has a color monitor
in the dash that keeps him in contact with
London. Perfect reception. I suppose you
could do that now in a moving car with
Skype, but in 1967 it was pure science
fiction. But I'm sure we thought it was
real, or just around the corner. In 67,
cell phones weren't even just around the
corner. We were still using 8 track tapes
and they were cutting edge.

Quote: Evenbob

In 67,cell phones weren't even just around the corner. We were still using 8 track tapes and they were cutting edge.

Back when a car dashboard really looked like something. When you opened a hood you could actually see moving parts.


And these cutting edge phones were still 15 year away.

Quote: Pacomartin

Back when a car dashboard really looked like something. When you opened a hood you could actually see moving parts.

I remember my first 8 Track, it was futuristic
and mind blowing. It seems silly now, but
you could listen to recorded music in your
CAR! This was alien to us pre 8 Track. And
the tapes weren't cheap. I never bought a
new one, picked them up at flea markets.
But it was cool, that's a fact.

I graduated in 67, the year 8 Track was really
coming into its own. It was hot till about 73,
when cassettes took over. They were fantastic,
I still have many. I just read that 8 Tracks were
made into the early 80's.. I had no idea.

For the short period between the mid 60's
and early 70's, 8 Tracks ruled. You had
to be there to believe it.

Google 8 Track wiki, a long and interesting
story.

Quote: Evenbob

For the short period between the mid 60's
and early 70's, 8 Tracks ruled. You had
to be there to believe it.

When I was a kid my dad got a car with an 8-Track player, he had 2 cars with them over the years IIRC. One thing I remember is sometimes the song would be "split" over 2 segments so you would hear it stop, then the tape would click, then it would pick up again. I guess it was worth it at the time.

Speaking of which, remember when it was so cool that you could download pretty much any song you wanted to listen for free and it took only about 10-15 minutes per song to do so? How great was that?

Quote: Evenbob

I graduated in 67, the year 8 Track was really coming into its own. It was hot till about 73, when cassettes took over.

According to wikipedia there was a 4-track otherwise known as The Muntz Stereo-Pak in 1962.
I'm not old enough to remember that.

Earl "Madman" Muntz

Quote: Pacomartin

According to wikipedia there was a 4-track otherwise known as The Muntz Stereo-Pak in 1962.
I'm not old enough to remember that.

I remember seeing an owners manual that said don't put 4-track tapes in the 8-Track player, never saw a 4-track tape or player. Always assumed it was like DAT and never really took off.

British guy with a very quiet voice showing off his 4 track cartridge where he plays recording made in 1962 & 1967.


Four track tape goes back to 1954. The cartridges came out in 1962.