📺….and nothin’ on….

Trump campaign (after losing): we don’t understand. We spent a fortune on TV telling people Harris was bad

Why didn’t it work?

Gen Z: what is TV?

— Greg Dworkin (@DemFromCT) July 30, 2024

Broadcast TV is now what Cable used to be.

When I was a kid, TV was the three major networks and, depending on how close you were to a major metropolitan area, an “independent” channel or two. The latter mostly ran movies and re-runs; the former were what everyone meant by “TeeVee.”

So all the political ads would be there, when the time came.

Then came cable, and political ads shifted there (somewhat), or you watched “premium” channels where you paid not to see ads.

Now comes digital broadcasting, and local network affiliates run multiple channels of reruns aimed at specific audiences (action, comedy, sci-fi, etc), or old-fashioned cable narrowcasting (aimed at evangelicals, shoppers, ethnic/national groups, etc.). 

And not many, if any, political ads.

And more streaming services than you can maintain subscriptions to.

I’m 69. I have several streaming services (some as benefits for other business services), and I watch those re-run nostalgia channels. I never watch the “Big 3” anymore. I never see political ads.

I know that statistically my age cohort are right-wing cranks yelling at FoxNews for being RINOs and watching Newsmax or RBN (or whatever it is), and still paying my excessive cable bill while complaining about the cost of food.

But voter registration among people below 35 is up (my age cohort are presumably all registered, so who else would be registering now?). So if I’m more politically and culturally aligned with young people, I’m good with that.

😎