First Jobs: Understanding Your Audience
BiB Contributor | Haley Cihock
I just returned from a leadership workshop given by Frank N. Magid Associates, a media consulting company, and found one session particularly insightful for students and others entering the broadcasting industry. It was a discussion about different generations – their influences, attitudes, and decision-making processes.
Baby Boomers, with ages ranging from 46 to 65, are pushing toward the outside of most newsrooms’ target demographic range of 25-54. They lived through the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War. Research shows them to be experimental, free-spirited and likely to invest in social causes.
Next comes Generation X, often labeled ”The MTV Generation” or described as ”latch-key kids,” since many are the products of divorced parents. They were born in 1965-1976 and will be the content drivers for those of you entering the workforce in the next few years. This generation saw the rise of the home computer, the internet, and cable television. They are more diverse than previous generations and tend to dismiss authority. They were also the first generation to earn less than their parents.
It should be easiest for graduating students and young professionals to understand the next group, the Millennials, because you are among them. Those born since 1977 are likely to be confident, team players, and optimistic. And, on average, they are smarter than previous generations, according to aptitude tests. The 9/11 terrorist attacks and Bill Clinton’s impeachment are among their defining moments. They have grown up with digital technology.
Any employer who hires you will have already pinpointed their target demographics long before you walk in the door. It would be wise for you, in getting started, to know exactly who your employer hopes to reach with your newscast, so that you can factor that into your decisions on what kinds of stories to pitch, and how to report them.
I’m not saying this information has to inform every story you report, but it’s certainly interesting research. And at the very least, it’s worth understanding a little bit more about people, because what we do best is tell stories… about people.
Tags: baby boomers, breaking, broadcasting, generation x, generations, millennials, reporting, stories
