1. CBS median viewership is the oldest at an average 55 years old
2. ABC averaged 51 years old
3. NBC viewers are a little younger, average 49
4. The Fox audience is a relatively youthful 44

Ten years ago the average age of viewers for these networks were clearly younger by three to nine years.

Where is this leading? Check this story to see what the highest paid TV personalities make every year…powerful evidence that despite the aging audience, broadcast television isn’t likely to disappear any time soon — it remains a lucrative media channel. As long as the advertising money keeps pouring into the networks, they’ll stay in business.

I’m guessing you haven’t really read a newspaper in the past two or three months. If so, you’re not alone. By most – if not all – measures – the U.S. newspaper business is dying. Except for a few major players, newspapers are bleeding money and ink all over.

The contrarian in this doomsday scenario is, most notably, The Wall Street Journal – which, by the way, has the very best newspaper app for Apple’s iPad (I wonder if the WSJ owner, media savvy Robert Murdoch, has any Apple stock?).  I’ll predict here that the WSJ will succeed, long-term, as an entity. They’ve leveraged their content all over the place, and even have the audacity to (gasp) charge customers to read their columnists and features.

Most of the print industry, though, will probably go under or just fade away slowly to irrelevance…IF it doesn’t take its cues from Mr. Murdoch and go digital.

Sample data points from a recent study the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show the dire circumstances of the American newspaper business, especially when compared to other countries:

• Fewer than half of all adults in the United States regularly read newspapers in 2008, compared with 96 percent in Iceland.
• Advertising contributed 87 percent of newspapers’ revenues in the United States, compared with 53 percent in Germany, 50 percent in Britain and 35 percent in Japan.

In light of such stats, I wondered how much longer the industry can survive here in the U.S.

Some industry veterans are decidely pessimistic about the viability of newspapers. Here’s a site for laid off journalists to offer their “parting words” of wisdom about the biz. There’s even a website where you can donate to…

• advance the search for a support system for the kind of serious public interest reporting that our democracy requires, and that is now so threatened.

Wow.

These thoughts were prompted by some news reports, and also by my need to renew my subscription to…The Wall Street Journal. Yeah, the print edition. I am one of the few people I know of who still read a newspaper – an actual PAPER – every day.  Started this daily routine when I was about ten years-old. Not quite ready to stop reading a paper.

Are you?

Here’s a piece in Financial Times suggesting that Apple is here to stay – citing the fact that the company is now worth more than long-time adversary Microsoft. Apple has been declared the largest tech company, and the coming days of new products and innovation might well continue that domination. Yesterday’s news that MS had re-organized its gadgets division didn’t do anything to make one think otherwise.

Still…how can Sir Steve keep it up? Over in the Wall Street Journal, an observation was made that Apple could be sealing its own fate by remaining committed to the “closed system” of tightly managing all software and hardware integration. This obsession with defining the user experience could well mean that Google’s Andriod phone OS, for instance, will one day rule the smart-pone seas. That licensed Android system means a multitude of manufacturers – resulting in a multitude of hardware options. And that is reminiscent of what happened when Steve Jobs decided to keep Apple’s OS to itself…allowing the competing MS operating system,

And I recently read a columnist who said Apple stock, in his opinion, is a “strong buy.”

I don’t own Apple stock. I DO own many Apple gadgets. And I like them all very much. But I’ll admit that the coming days seem a bit troubling to me. A friend with an Android phone showed it off, and I was impressed. With the release of MS Vista, it seems Microsoft is finally getting the hang of making their OS markedly better.

Something tells me that “the jury is still out,” that Apple will be around for quite some time, and that the coming days of technology and electronics will only bring improved products at lower prices.

Sure as the sun shines.

Er, as I type that last sentence, I notice it is raining, even though the sun is still shining.

Hmmm.

Other critics, though, were more…critical, citing poor software and expensive monthly plans as reasons to overlook these offerings. OK, so maybe they’re not looking as good as I thought.

Still, hats off to Microsoft for being bold and trying.

I’m guessing though, that the company will not get the traction of this phone, or this one, or this one, or…

Ah, the fickle public, the growing list of technical abilities needed to capture the attention of busy geeks, and the high bar set by the iPhone. And I have to wonder: Where will mobile devices be in five years?

If you’re at all like me, here’s something that may be of interest to you: the trend toward using phones to pay for services and purchases. With the advent of the smart phone, it is easier for stores – and consumers – to use a mobile device for a transaction.

My last trip to the Apple Store bore this out. When I had the software I needed, I asked where to pay. The friendly-guy-in-the-cool-t-shirt looked at me with a smirk. “Right here,” he said, as he pulled out his iPhone, I gave him my Mastercard, he swiped it on a little attachment to his phone, and we were done in about 40 seconds.

“Cool,” I thought.

Read this to learn more about the cashless — and cash machine-less — future. It’ll be here very quickly.

Everything I’m doing (related to touring, writing, and television) is to support my radio program. The radio is how I connect with people’s hearts and minds.

Again, that’s not a direct quote but it captures his sense of the power of radio, in particular, to get a message out.  Rather than merely tapping into every media channel, Beck is using his media efforts to support and strengthen just one medium: his radio program.

Hold that thought for a moment and consider the following item. At one talk radio website it was recently suggested that Beck’s unique messaging is what really makes him special:

Beck’s own mega-success is driven by his special talent for conveying a unique personality and world view that resonates with a distinctive (and sizable) audience.  It’s not about having a TV show, radio program, book deal, newsletter, website and speaking gigs; it’s about — to paraphrase the cliche — having a very special take and being exceedingly good at sharing it via those channels.

While I think his personality and his style are compelling (or if you are a Beck-hater, I guess they are most irritating), it is Beck’s ability to really harness media – in pretty much every shape and form – effectively that has led to his wild success.

Look, an extremely talented person with no media exposure will not be well known. There are probably some great communicators out there that we’ve never heard of – and many we’ll never know. Talent alone won’t get you a huge following.

As we’ve seen, though, many people lacking in talent (can you say Snooki?) have gained popularity through their wise, or perhaps lucky, use of media channels.

So is it the personality and his/her talent, or the medium/media, that makes popularity and success possible? Obviously a combination of both! And while I like a lot of what I see in social media, and I’m a big fan of multi-media messaging, I’m still quite bullish on radio. It does what other media can’t – it typically talks 1:1 with its listeners, giving much more than information – it gives values, heart and passion. If you listen to Beck, that is what he is delivering to his radio audience. He does that somewhat on his television show and online. His live events, I’m told do connect emotionally with people. But the greatest audience for this heart (soul?) connect with people is through radio.

Just remember what we might call “The Beck Principle:” radio makes a great connection with a great audience possible.

“Have you considered the iPad?” Well, no, I replied. “You ought to.” And he proceeded to tell me the cost and weight advantages of the new device. Since it wasn’t out yet, though, he couldn’t be sure about some of the specs, and since I couldn’t hold it or try it out, I told him I’d pass.

A few days later, I was on the phone with a rep from the online Apple Store. I had tried to purchase a refurb’d MacBook, in my price range, and with the portability I desired. Unfortunately, the transaction didn’t go through – I suspect I had two (or three) browser tabs opened at the store, and that such a tactic prevented the site from accepting my purchase.  I explained that I liked the price on that entry-level MacBook, and the gentleman kindly offered to call me when that particular model, now sold out, is back in stock (I’m still waiting on that call). He then suggested that “maybe an iPad is what you need.” With only a couple of weeks until the launch of the iPad, perhaps it would make sense to pre-order one, it sounds like a perfect solution to my pricing concerns.

“No,” I replied, “I don’t think the small screen and the awkwardness of lugging a keyboard around and the limited capabilities of the iPad are for me. Besides, I need something now, and I’m not inclined to wait another few weeks.”

After that second exchange, I realized that the company has been – rightly, and I don’t fault Apple for this – rallying the sales team around the new device. And why not? The profit margins on the iPad are surely quite decent, and for Mr. Jobs to stay the prophet that he is, Apple has to sell a lot of iPads so the “change-the-world-I’ve-got-an-iPad” mentality is inescapable. Apple wants – needs – us to be unable to imagine life with iPad. So, press the potential buyer, pitch this as the perfect item, and appeal to their (low) price as a way to meet my needs AND save money.

Look, I like Apple products a lot, and have for years. We have a bunch of Macs and iPods in our family. In fact, a couple of months ago my dad who is 79, surprised us all by buying a new 24 inch iMac (and now he has a better computer than me!). But I know what I need – repeat, need, and it ain’t an iPad. As seductive as the hype and ads and speculation have been, I just thought it through and decided I would not be happy owning an iPad, especially in light of these specific projects. And, having been an early adopter on a couple of other Macs, I’ve learned that waiting a year will always…always….always…save me money and get me a better Apple product. That’s how it has worked on computers, iPods and iPhones.

So despite my previous post about getting an iPad, I’ve decided to wait on the thing. Maybe next year.

BTW, if you are unpersuaded by my thoughts here, read this piece over at Fast Company that outlines some good reasons to wait on that iPad purchase.

And if you already have an iPad, check this out and see if you are really irritating people with your iPad love.

According to a story in Themusicvoid.com, Pandora’s managers recently said that Americans listen to about 20 hours of music a week and radio listening accounts for 17 of those hours.

If true, the iPod hasn’t (yet) killed radio, not even a little.

According to a recent Pew Research Center, teens aren’t Twittering. Only 8% of teens utilize the microblogging site.

Teens DO use Facebook and other social sites, however. That same Pew report showed that 73% of young teens (ages 12 to 17) use Facebook.

Here’s a chart showing the frequency of online access by teens – nothing startling, but pretty interesting.

If you like numbers, data and trend projections, check out these twenty “mind-blowing” social media stats.

The short of all this: media messaging requires an awareness of where the intended audience is, what media they are using and where they congregate.

If “knowledge is power,” what do you know?