Por que é não ouvem os jovens

De acordo com o New York Times:

«Radio listening among teenagers has dropped off and, according to Larry Rosin, the president of Edison Media Research, two factors are involved. The first is the intense competition for media audience time that has developed in the last dozen years. In addition to Web surfing, cellphones, video games, movies, television and the chime of instant messages, portable music players and downloadable songs are vying for teenage ears. The second, he said, is “radio’s unwillingness to target listeners in the 12- to 24-year-old demographic. The overwhelming majority of stations target the 25- to 54-year-old group, what is known in the industry as the ‘money demo.’ ” Listening hours have dropped almost 21 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds in the last 10 years, but they still listen for 18 hours in an average week, almost six hours more than their younger siblings. Weekly radio-listening hours have dropped 19 percent in the 12-to-17 demographic. And listeners under 12 years old? “Nobody is targeting them except Radio Disney,” Mr. Rosin said.» (fonte: «The Youngsters Aren’t Listening as Much», 16/10/06, New Yor Times, SHELLY FREIERMAN).

Mark Ramsey não concorda:

«Isn't the real problem (if it's a "problem") that tastes among teens and college-age kids have atomized into droplet-sized formats no wider than each listener's iPod and the roster of bands tagged as "friends" on MySpace? Now, more than ever, under-25's can get what they want in a way that radio is incapable of servicing. Should we blame ourselves for not chasing the un-catchable? Should we blame our sellers for not "selling harder" to under-25's? I don't think so. The fear, of course, is that if young listeners don't develop a relationship to radio now, they never will. Maybe. That depends on what's on it.» (fonte Hear2, Mark Ramsey, «Where did all the under-25's go?», 17/10/06