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.