Neuharth Riffs Several reports yesterday had Al Neuharth seriously contemplating a national newspaper for kids. Let me guess - it will have really short stories and a lot of color graphics,
right? Because you know about kids and their short attention spans. More seriously, I think a newspaper aimed at the 11-17 set is a good idea. If Neuharth is thinking any younger, that would be a bad
thing. But from a content perspective, pre-teens and teens these days need a counterbalance to the other media pushed their way, which is very heavy on looks, lifestyle and love. There’s more to life
than that. There should be more to media than that. Anybody who has tried to explain the Arab-Israeli conflict to a kid wishes they had a newspaper to refer to. From a marketing standpoint, it could
be an effective vehicle for entertainment companies who continue to successfully segregate teen music and teen movies. Packaged goods companies want that audience as well, but my sense is they will
continue to try to reach teens where they live and play. Which begs the obvious question: will kids read a daily paper? There sure go online a lot. I think they would. Roll those dice, Al……
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Upfront riffs: I don’t understand why so much press focus stays on the question of whether upfront buys will increase or decrease this year? Who cares? The real issue this year is that the
networks are on the spot. They need to come through with programming that will attract mass amounts of a fragmenting audience. The drama to me is in the programming directions. Media buyers will
rightfully reserve judgment. Forget upfront. Dial up again in Late June. We’ll then be talking about “midfront.”……
Retail riffs: As KMart continues to fade, watch the media plans from JC
Penney, Nordstrom’s, Kohl’s and other retailers who play in the same stadium as WalMart and Target. JC Penney, in case you missed it, has come out with an aggressive print and circular strategy for
the fall.
