ABC?s ?Nightline' fracas insulting for every age group

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By now the controversy has ebbed over ABC's efforts to lure David Letterman from CBS to replace "Nightline" with Ted Koppel. During the fracas, I half expected "Nightline" to begin each night with: "Siege Against The Newsroom, Day 4 ... Day 5 ... Day 6 ..."|ret||ret||tab|

The fuss abated when Letter-man re-signed with CBS and praised Koppel as a fine journalist. The powers that be at ABC are stuck with trying to convince Koppel that, although he may be second choice, he is still their guy. |ret||ret||tab|

Truth be told, I don't care where David Letterman and Ted Koppel ply their trade. What grates on me is that ABC wanted to replace a respected news program with a talk show, because it wanted to attract a "younger" audience. |ret||ret||tab|

I don't know how the brain trust at ABC defines "younger," but I assume they aren't talking about the MTV audience. If that is the "younger" group ABC is after, the network is in real trouble.|ret||ret||tab|

If I were a "young adult" I hope that is the demographic group ABC is courting the implication that I was too unsophisticated to watch anything but inane comedy shows would be insulting. |ret||ret||tab|

Older viewers also should be miffed. |ret||ret||tab|

Apparently they currently make up the "Nightline" audience, therefore ABC was saying, "Get lost, old dudes!" They might also ask: "Hey, is there anyone else out there that we haven't offended?"|ret||ret||tab|

Incidents such as the Koppel-versus-Letterman spat point toward differences in likes and dislikes between age groups. It doesn't take a trained ear when listening to the radio to detect a wide range of music aimed at different age groups. |ret||ret||tab|

The very young share neither music, dress nor social styles with any other groups (spiked purple hair and the music that goes with it is popular with few other than teens). Beyond teens are various stages of "young adult"; I presume some within these groups make up the "younger" audience ABC wanted Letterman to attract. |ret||ret||tab|

At some point people undergo a transfiguration from "younger to "older." |ret||ret||tab|

Common among "older" and "younger" groups are different tastes in music. ABC must believe the same applies to TV viewing. You may be distraught, wondering when you cease to be "younger" and join the demographic group that ABC apparently doesn't care about: "older." |ret||ret||tab|

Relax, the Rusty Saber to the rescue. There are certain indicators that you have progressed from one to the other. The aforementioned David Letter-man has his "Top 10" list. I see nothing sacrosanct about 10; hence, here are the Rusty Saber Top 13 ways to know you have become a bona fide member of the "older" group. You are in that group if ...|ret||ret||tab|

1. You get a senior citizen discount without asking for it.|ret||ret||tab|

2. You can remember when the telephone company was THE telephone company, the only one in existence.|ret||ret||tab|

3. You can't remember a time when you weren't eligible for an AARP membership.|ret||ret||tab|

4. You remember when a three-bedroom house cost less than a four-door sedan does today.|ret||ret||tab|

5. After seeing a singing group on the Grammy Awards TV show, the only comment you made before turning it off was, "What on earth was that?"|ret||ret||tab|

6. You bought a memory improvement book, but you can't remember where you put it.|ret||ret||tab|

7. You remember when things you bought were made in America, not in China.|ret||ret||tab|

8. To you, a Web site is a place where a spider works.|ret||ret||tab|

9. You remember when TV's "Saturday Night Live" and the comic strip "Doonesbury" were actually funny.|ret||ret||tab|

10. Your favorite music is stored in the "Easy Listening" section in music stores, causing you to ask if the rest is in the "Difficult Listening" section.|ret||ret||tab|

11. You remember when the TV was in black-and-white, but it was never "off color."|ret||ret||tab|

12. You remember when smart alecks with filthy mouths were shunned not successful stand-up comics.|ret||ret||tab|

13. You remember when a phone call to your house would be from someone needing to talk to you, not someone trying to sell you something you didn't want.|ret||ret||tab|

Well, are you "younger" or "older"?|ret||ret||tab|

(Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.)[[In-content Ad]]