by: Alain Thys
If you ever needed any more convincing that the nature of media-consumption is changing, have a look at the research findings of Abandoning the News by the Carnegie Corporation (note: the juicy bits start from Slide 15 onwards).
In short, the age group 18-34 is rapidly, and it would seem irrevocably from the traditional sources of news. In stead, the segment is rapidly switching to the internet and – surprisingly to some – local news.
Internet portals like Yahoo, MSN have emerged in the survey as the most frequently cited daily news sourced, with 44% of the group using these portals at least once a day for news, ahead of local TV (37%) and all other media.
Young people, the report concludes, don't want to rely on the morning paper on their doorstep or the dinnertime newscast for up-to-date information; in fact, they – as well as others, want their news on demand, when it works for them.
While posing valid questions for the media trade, this also means marketeers should – rapidly – start thinking about new ways to do mediabuying as it looks like some predictions from the dot-com age are starting to become reality.
