The Old Folks At Home

Help! I've fallen and I can't turn off the opera.
– Public Radio Programmer Humor

I’ve heard every tasteless senior citizen joke on the planet. I’m even responsible for a few.

But programming to older listeners is serious business. I did it for ten years at WMFE in Orlando. We did fine, with audience and fundraising numbers many in similar-sized markets would envy. But one concern always dogged our success:

Sure, the audience is okay now, but what happens in 10 years when they’re dead?

AUDIENCE 98^® reminds us how important public radio is to older listeners, how important older listeners are to public radio, and just how much life they have left.

I certainly wouldn’t write them off yet.

The parallels between this and the Gen X report are striking – especially the notion that we can hurt ourselves by the incautious seeking of younger or older listeners.

Older persons who share public radio’s values are already attracted to our programming – and it didn’t require tributes to Frank Sinatra, nursing home remotes, or canes and walkers as pledge premiums.

The best way to serve listeners of any age is to provide the best program service possible. That’s because the appeal of public radio programming stems from factors beyond age. Education and values are much stronger predictors of listening. Intellectual curiosity knows no age boundaries.

I’ll be a geezer (52) in just seven years! I still plan to be listening then.

That is, if I can still twiddle the Philco at that terribly advanced age.

– Peter Dominowski
AUDIENCE 98 Associate

 

Audience Research Analysis
Copyright © ARA and CPB.  All rights reserved.
Revised: September 01, 2000 12:38 PM.