The Elderly Audience

Seniors now average more hours of television watching per week than any other age category. Many use television as a critical source of information, enabling them to actively participate in public issues on a local, state, or federal level. Local and national network news reports as well as dedicated news channels, such as C-SPAN, the Cable News Network (CNN), and MSNBC, help older individuals stay abreast of pending legislation that may impact their quality of life. Most recently, for example, topics such as social security and healthcare have received wide coverage. By staying informed through the television medium, which sometimes allows for immediate interactivity via the call-in format, older citizens have the availability to remain or become active.

In addition to boosting political interests, television provides cultural stimulus through the broadcasting of concerts, theater performances, bibliographies, and cultural documentaries. The elderly audience generally favors these types of programming, found in the United States on channels such as the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), A&E, The Learning Channel (TLC), the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and even the Food Network.These offerings enable elderly individuals, who may be confined to their homes for health or economic reasons, to virtually explore the world and its peoples.

Television’s audio components can also provide a type of companionship in the home for older women and men who find themselves alone. Not only is the noise from television a comfort, but viewers often feel a connection with television personalities. Historically, favorite characters and personalities of this age-group include mystery sleuths such as Perry Mason, Colombo, and Jessica Fletcher (Murder, She Wrote); performers such as Lawrence Welk, Lucille Ball, and Carol Burnett; and game show hosts such as Pat Sajak and Vanessa White (Wheel of Fortune), Alex Trebek (Jeopardy), and Bob Barker (The Price Is Right). Further, aging viewers tend to prefer characters, story lines, and formats that reflect and reinforce their existing ideologies rather than exploring more radical options. For instance, the character Jessica Fletcher is well liked because she is successful, conventionally moral, and intelligent and is an older character. Additionally, older adults tend to prefer stories that are resolved within a single episode (with the exception of traditional soap operas), as opposed to plotlines that run throughout the series. 

Representations of Elderly Characters

Often, older characters are depicted as feisty grouches, such as Grannie (Beverly Hillbillies), Archie Bunker (All in the Family), Frank Costanza (Seinfeld), or Frank Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond). Otherwise, they are portrayed as scatterbrains, as exemplified by Edith Bunker (All in the Family) and Rose Nylund (Golden Girls). Seniors are repeatedly shown to be feeble, as seen in the popular “Help! I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!” commercial of the 1980s. Further, there is little racial or ethnic diversity among older characters. The vast majority is Caucasian. There are exceptions, such as Fred Sanford (Sanford and Son), but even this character fell victim to some stereotypes of Black Americans. Still, as Channel and programming options increase, a greater diversity of representation across all age categories, race, and socioeconomic groups may emerge.

Perhaps many of these issues are exemplified in one program that focuses completely on elderly characters,  The Golden Girls. This situation comedy ran from 1985 to 1992 and featured four females in their senior years, each exhibiting a distinct background and persona. The women were shown to have active lifestyles, including dating (many jokes centered around sex), and to face serious concerns (characters dealt with housing issues and health emergencies). This very popular show, filled with humor and touching moments, represents one of the few series that afforded a great deal of attention to the often disregarded elderly community.

It is likely that the elderly community is largely ignored and serious television because the group is also frequently overlooked as a demographically defined target market. Nevertheless, elderly individuals are consumers as well as viewers. Average annual expenditures for Americans between the age of 65 and 74 years were more than $32,000 in 2001, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet advertisers, other than those selling products made specifically for aging adults such as denture cream or pharmaceuticals, tend to focus on the 18- 34 demographic. The U.S. network capitalizing most extensively on elder viewership is the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). With programs that are popular among older audiences, such as Touched by an Angel and 60 Minutes, CBS has become known as the only major network catering to senior viewers.

Home shopping, however, is also a potential site at which television addresses the elderly and provides a different approach to financial interaction. The Home Shopping Network (HSN) and QVC are popular among elderly buyers because these stations allow them to make purchases without leaving their homes, and the phone-in format, as opposed to Internet shopping, is easier for some elderly consumers. Further, the hosts of these shows, who often directly address the camera to attract the viewer, can serve as companions in the home of isolated audience members.

Television use cannot, of course, be studied solely on the basis of age categories. Education and economic status, individual tastes, and cultural background all certainly influence viewing choices and behaviors. While researchers have found that the elderly as a demographic group generally favor certain genres, formats, and characters, elderly viewers are a diverse group who ultimately live with the medium according to their own distinct, individual needs.