The Future Audience

The Future Audience

Major television networks are increasingly becoming involved in

captivating a younger news audience and more modern ways to view the

news on the go. In many recent polls and surveys, the American news

audience has shown an immense interest in exploring different avenues

to obtain news coverage. In recent studies, the age demographics

between 18 to 30 years old, have shown that the younger population is

moving toward faster, innovative technologies, i.e. internet and/or

cellular phones. The demand for instant-gratification has led to a

dramatic drop in ratings over the past few years. These in-and-out

approaches to technology are growing every second; I think eventually

these new broadcast mediums will take the place of traditional coverage

venues.

As a new generation approaches, a growing interest in the

internet will provide the public with information that was formally

received via cable networks. Many of these networks are now trying to

entertain viewers with a more innovative approach,

podcasts. "Podcasting is a method of publishing audio and video

programs via the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed of new

files (usually MP3s)," (Wikipedia 2005-10-12). Many people may see no

problem with this novelty; however, cable networks are forced to put

more of their revenue into the commercial-free newscasts to compete

with other fast growing internet conglomerations. Media outlets may

lose profits once gained by subscriptions and advertising. By this

drastic change, many reporters and journalists may be left without a

job. Furthermore, journalists are not the only people to acquire the

disadvantages of internet media. Businesses have also experienced the

loss of money from their employees retrieving news in the

workplace. "Perhaps a third of companies that use web filtering

software block news sites, and that number may increase," (Parr 2002).

Americans are once again threatened by machines taking over their way

of living; just as mass producing machines replaced specialty shops

during The Depression.

The cell phone has basically taken away other types of

communication as well. The ownership of cellular phones has taken

instant-gratification to a new level. I have found that the use of

cellular phones has weakened the younger population's thirst for a

broad education. With a point-and-click approach to life, many other

important topics produced by newscasts are virtually taken away because

we now can choose which information we will be reading. Instead of the

prime time edition of the