
Walter Cronkite is coming back. I know you've been holding your breath since he retired in 1981, but it's OK. He is expected to take a job as an anchor on a cable network called Retirement Living TV. Florence Henderson is also on the network. Sounds like a recipe for a ratings blockbuster.
The network celebrated its one-year anniversary last week, and only has coverage on DIRECTV Group Inc.'s (NYSE: DTV) network for 8 hours a day. It is also broadcast on Comcast Corp.'s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) CN8 for 4 hours.
Retirement Living bills itself as "the new voice of a generation underserved by the media industry. We hope to change not only the way you watch TV, but the way you live your life."
But the question is whether seniors really want to watch "old people TV". My grandmother likes to watch CNN and E! to keep up with the latest celebrity gossip -- makes her feel young. In a society with such an emphasis on youth, are Florence Henderson and Walter Cronkite really a good way to attract seniors?
So far the network has failed to catch on big, and I don't expect it will.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-17-2007 @ 4:47PM
Howard said...
"Network for old people" Who is writing your headlines these days? If you can't respect the elders in this line of work, find something else to do.
9-18-2007 @ 2:28PM
LRai said...
Wow, Walter Cronkite is coming back huh?? I would really be interested in some of his opinions he may be able to offer. Does anyone know what type of show he will be hosting? I looked on the RLTV website, which is actually really interesting. They have a video library of all their shows and just updates in general on RLTV. www.rl.tv I would recommend everyone checking this out.
-L'Rai
9-18-2007 @ 4:49PM
sheila said...
I suggest taking the format of Arp Magazine. Excellent articles, timely and helpful. Get rid of "old people" in your headlines and tag lines!
9-18-2007 @ 4:58PM
sheila said...
I suggest you use format of AARP magazine with timely and useful articles and slants. Please eliminate tag lines and headlines with "old people"
9-18-2007 @ 6:08PM
John M. Nolan said...
Walter Cronkite was a solid, repsonsible presenter of news. He was a giant. We could all profit from his insights today - as in the decades gone by - but why limit him to "old folks"? He may give the senior citizen point of view, but it will be honest, well researched and unpredjudiced. We don't have that luxury to any extent now.
9-19-2007 @ 12:03PM
John Champagne said...
We ought to try to pull Cronkite out of retirement and into the White House. I remember a professor saying in late 1983 that Cronkite should run against Reagan, that he was the only one who could win, (Reagan was so popular). The same prof said that Cronkite was too old to run in 1988.
What better way to shatter the idea that old people cannot contribute to society than to get a person of his years who has such a well-earned reputation for honesty and integrity and such a wealth of experience than to draft Cronkite for 2008. http://www.geocities.com/gaiabrainearths/cronkite.html
We would become much more interested in who the vice-presidential choice is, too, if we bring Cronkite to the presidency, (as well we should).
Cronkite would take on the burdens of office, I think, if we ask him to, (if the Electors ask - http://www.geocities.com/gaiabrainearths/electors.html ), but he said a long time ago why he thinks that someone who made his name as a reporter ought not use that as a platform to run for office. http://www.geocities.com/gaiabrainearths/cronkite_president.html
Is our selection process working well, or should we take action to change it?
9-20-2007 @ 4:01PM
baltgirl said...
It's people like you who make networks like Retirement Living TV necessary. The "media" view that if you're over 50 your "old" is not only insulting, but detrimental to aging successfully! Thank God there is finally someone who recognizes that NO ONE is programming to anyone over the age of 40...it's not tv for "old people" it's for mature, thinking adults who are tired of being made fun of in sitcoms and want to see someone who looks and sounds like them on tv. Shame on you. Walter Cronkite is a giant compared to most talking heads on tv today.