MovieChat Forums > Vegas (2012) Discussion > We ALL Lose When Networks Tag the 18-49 ...

We ALL Lose When Networks Tag the 18-49 Demographic Most Important

posted 11 years ago by heykateforever
42 replies | jump to latest

Last year we lost Alcatraz, even though it was well liked and did well in the ratings. This year, we will lose Vegas, a show that generally hits in the top 20 in the Nielsen Ratings. There is a very bad precedent out there being used by NBC, ABC, FOX, and CW - not so much CBS - they embrace their "older" audience. This practice is offensive, bigoted, and smacks of one of the last group of people it's OK to vilify. Those of us over the age of 50. I have been watching this awful standard grow more powerful, and more offensive as the years have gone on and now I'm starting to shout out about it. When I was younger, I raised children, had a great career, went out with friends, and generally had NO TIME to watch TV. Now that I am retired, I have the time AND money, but all the greatest shows are being canceled....because of ME! How in the world do we get through to these nimrod networks that as they have pushed this safely bigoted POV along, their ratings are sinking farther and farther. So, even though we buy mostly the same things youngsters buy, and often MORE OF THEM, we are worth nothing to them. I'd start a backlash against ANY advertisers on shows where the under 50 are keeping the shows on the air (if we over 50 stopped buying their products, I think they'd feel the hurt!). But unless EVERYone understands this issue, we ALL get hurt by this short-sighted ageist plan of theirs. Because Vegas, as it stands, WILL BE canceled (I predict), based on what is being said by most of the websites which predict these things, and it will be canceled not because it is too low in the ratings, it will be canceled because the wrong people are watching the show. Can you all imagine if I substituted blacks, or Latinos, or gays for the over 50 crowd? How far would the networks get by basing their decisions on how many blacks (Latinos, gay people) watch a certain show, and not enough, say Chinese people? Just saying. This is a slippery slope that needs to stop! AND, this one covers ALL nationalities and life choices - ANYone over the age of 50 is a crap viewer according to the networks. I, for one, am highly offended and apologize to you younger folks who LIKE Vegas! If less of us watched it (and a few more of you did), it would be renewed right now. Hollywood and their penchant for "causes" is oddly silent on this outright bigotry happening every day. Do we need to start a class action suit against these nitwit Hollywood Entertainment Presidents to catch everybody's attention to this? Just saying.....

INARA: Mal, you don't have to (leave Serenity and) die alone.
MAL: Everybody dies alone.

[–] Sandoz 11 years ago

Why even get your panties in a bunch about it? Anyone looking for quality from a television show with half-a-brain these days knows the only game in town now is cable commercial or pay channels. There are NO dramatic shows on the big 4 Networks anymore that rise above being, at best, mediocre.

Don't worry...you're actually too insignificant for me to "hate" you

[–] deezmofoz 11 years ago

not sure why anything else was posted after this...
you aren't getting any great, cutting-edge tv out of a basic cable network. AMC, F/X, Showtime & HBO are running things.

besides, shows like the good wife have the same demographic & does pretty well so it's not really a network problem, it's a "this show wasn't that good" problem.

THEY SHOOTIN'! ah, i made you look.

[–] BlobbyLight 11 years ago

exactamundo. so much garbage on tv these days.. when are these tv execs finally gonna realize people want to be not only entertained, but entertained by something with substance... all this reality tv fake politically correct scripted oh look a naked butt and he said "shyt" on TV! crap is/was the death of tv. far better shows have been canned this and in recent years... not only on the big 4. vegas suffered from g rated predictable writing. glad these actors are free to move onto something better.

[–] mactach 11 years ago

Could you express yourself without sounding like an idiot and writing such a long paragraph on it?

[–] heykateforever 11 years ago

Don't hate me because I can actually put more than a Tweet together in an intelligent way ;)

[–] !!!deleted!!! (8778465) 9 years ago

Your original post has at least 3 or 4 paragraphs worth of content crammed into a single jumbled mess. You call that intelligent? Might as well have skipped the periods as well and made it a run-on sentence to boot LOL. Didn't even chop it up into readable sections.

Most people aren't even going to bother reading that mess, it's hard on the eyes and it's almost entirely unreadable unless you zoom-in to make the text larger.

I wasn't going to bother saying anything, but after seeing you touting yourself as 'intelligent' based on what's basically a four-paragraph-long run on sentence, I couldn't help myself. Putting together a piece of text intelligent typically involves at least splitting it up into paragraphs so that reading it doesn't involve intense focusing and increasing the size of the text.

[–] DaytonaBob 11 years ago

WOW, Mr. Perfect heard from.

Might want to check and make sure your halo isn't slipping.

They who give up liberty to
obtain a temporary safety deserve
neither liberty or safety

[–] Verdoux-1 11 years ago

He's actually right. Many people including me probably skipped his message because the text wasn't cut into several paragraphs.

Even if I don't always succeed, I try to write in a way that most people who stumble upon my text will actually read it through. Why bother writing something if you don't care if anybody reads it.

[–] mvljr 11 years ago

I think you're completely right.

In fact, the networks should concentrate on people over 40, primarily because people of my generation (I was born in 82) DO NOT WATCH COMMERCIALS..... at all. We grew up during the DVR era and it's all we know. I can attest to the fact that at 30 years old I never watch live television, ever! I watch a lot of sports, but the constant commercials put me over the edge years ago and I MUTE all commercials when I watch sports.

As far as I'm concerned, people over the age of 40 are what's keeping these broadcast networks in business, plain and simple. People like my Dad, who's 60, and never tapes any shows, even though he has DVRs throughout the house. He always watches live shows and watches commercials. He grew up with watching live TV and it's all he knows. He loves to watch 'The Mentalist', as do I, but the difference is he'll watch it live and I won't. In fact, I even torrent the show, just so the commercials are already edited out.

When the "Dinosaur Generation" of TV execs finally dies off, maybe the new breed will finally get rid of the stupid Nielsen boxes and start concentrating on overall viewers and forget the stupid DMA's they so covet.

Just my .02

[–] Iheartjason 11 years ago

I agree with you also--
Stupid of the networks to discount 79 million babyboomers-
Who also account for more than half of all consumer spending. It will come back to bite them when no one watches network shows-

[–] mactach 11 years ago

I do agree. I can't see how why they haver to limit to that younger group.

[–] Cinamon 11 years ago

You think that's bad, try finding a decent movie to go to---its all about the young teen crowd.

[–] heykateforever 11 years ago

Exactly right!

[–] SandyBeach46 11 years ago

AMEN!!! Good to know there are some smart younger people out there.

[–] tugg-mcgroin 11 years ago

You can rail against the faceless "network execs" all you want, but they are going to continue doing what they are doing anyway. Regardless of how many apocryphal stories you may have about the spending habits of a group (any group) of people, not you, not I, and probably not anyone on this board has the data to back up our opinions -- and that's really all they are, opinions.

Like it or not, the networks are businesses. They have a responsibility to shareholders to maximize revenue from advertising. Unfortunately, they have no responsibility to produce quality programming -- except when that helps maximize ad revenues.

If their data tells them that younger people are a better target for advertising, then that is who they will aim their programming to reach.

[–] heykateforever 11 years ago

Problem with your summation: You blatantly disregard the bigotry aspect and WE, THE PEOPLE keep losing good shows. I am 60 years old and am as technologically savvy as any of you youngsters. The thing is, eventually people who are 40 and in the "correct" demographics now will soon be 60. Not the same viewing habits or knowledge of my parent's generation at all. Basing their choice of shows on your age is also a smack in your face. The statistics say you all between 18 - 49 are dumb and spend every penny you get, THAT is why they target you. Feeling the love now? Just saying......

[–] heykateforever 11 years ago

PS: Where inaction and apathy exists, the ability to bully increases. Just think about it while we still have a few decent "free" network shows left..

[–] Taylorfirst1 11 years ago

I think you are right. The networks are making a mistake by focusing solely on the 18-49 group (I'm in that group BTW). But the older group is growing fast, often has more money to spend, and probably watches more TV then the younger group. As far as the networks being businesses and they have data to back up their methods. Well lots of businesses have data but they sometimes have the wrong data or they analyze it incorrectly or they make bad decisions based on the data and that's how they go bankrupt. Lots of businesses go belly up because they stick to methods that worked in the past but don't work now.

[–] SandyBeach46 11 years ago

I'm with you heykateforever...us baby boomers know a thing or two. I wish some of the "Powers That Be" would at least listen to us. I wonder what the execs did before the Neilsens came to be? I so respect your comments.

[–] MycroftHolmes 11 years ago

They're stupid. The people over 50 have all the money.

What we have here is failure to communicate!

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MycroftHolmes 11 years ago

I don't already know any of those things and I eat out all the time. I'm looking at a new vehicle and we've been researching for a while now. You probably picked the best things to advertise to me (except the beer, I drink wine). The worst things would be hi tech gadgets, (I don't even know what they're pitching half the time in those ads), clothing, shoes and stores that aren't even in my area.

What we have here is failure to communicate!

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tmisterb 11 years ago

AGREED!

[–] WhiskeySam 11 years ago

What's surprising is the 16-20 range has a much higher unemployment rate (25%) than the national figure. So the lower end of that target demographic is the least likely to have any income to spend.

___________________________
Have flask; will travel.

[–] themadride 11 years ago

Sheesh. Bigoted? Really?

Can anything not be offensive anymore?

Shows run on advertising. Advertisers want to target those who SPEND THE MOST.

18-49 demographic spends the most. Ratings in that category translate to advertising premiums you can demand as a network.

Pull your liberal, PC, easily offended head out of your a#s.