Television news and elderly people: Broadcast managers' attitudes toward older adults

Michael Lee Hilt, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

Television news has become the public's most important source of information. Older viewers are major consumers of television news, preferring television news over other media. However, information about elderly people and issues of importance to them in television newscasts has been inadequate. The purpose of this study was to discover the television general managers' and news directors' attitudes toward the elderly and their issues, and to attempt to explain why older adults may not be considered a crucial part of the television news viewing audience. Through the Kogan Attitudes Toward Old People scale, the broadcast managers' attitudes toward the elderly were found to be positive in comparison with other occupation groups. The managers said older adults were an important part of the viewing audience. While the managers consider older adults an important part of the audience, it has been only recently that this demographic group has been targeted by broadcasters. As the population grows older, and considering the importance of local television news in the lives of the elderly, the study of the attitudes of broadcasters toward older people will be increasingly relevant. As broadcasters learn more about this new market of older people, it is likely that their stereotypes about the elderly will decline.

Subject Area

Mass media|Journalism|Gerontology

Recommended Citation

Hilt, Michael Lee, "Television news and elderly people: Broadcast managers' attitudes toward older adults" (1994). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9507811.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9507811

COinS