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Join TSPR for a weekly conversation about media issues. News Director Rich Egger and expert panelists discuss what’s in the news about the news business.

Reaching an Older Audience On-line

Columbia Journalism Review reported on a new on-line feature section from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  It’s called "Aging Edge."  It is designed to appeal to older audiences, which is a change from the media's usual obsession with attracting younger audiences.

Shop Talk panelist Jonathan Ahl said newspapers have long featured senior sections in print, so it’s interesting to see a newspaper trying the same thing on-line. He’s not sure if it makes sense from a business perspective but he likes it as a community service and audience building effort. 

Ahl said people are living longer so it makes sense to try appealing to this growing demographic.

Panelist Will Buss considered such an on-line feature to be a natural progression. He said the internet is not that new anymore and an increasing number of people – including seniors – have access to computers and other devices. 

Buss said much of the baby boomer generation has reached senior citizen status. It’s a large demographic so it’s at least worth a try.

Panelist Rich Egger said the on-line section should appeal to advertisers.  He said seniors might be interested in products they didn’t need before so it’s a chance for businesses to reach out to them. 

Egger also said the CJR article pointed out the Post-Gazette’s coverage area has a slightly higher senior population than the national average so that factor also makes it worth a try.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.