In the latest battle between idiots and the rest of us, we baby boomers find ourselves in familiar circumstances:
shit out of luck.
This time we have A&E to
thank. In a profoundly foolish move, the cable channel cancelled Longmire, its highest-rated drama ever
and second-most popular show overall. You know why? The people watching it are too
old.
Not too old to see the TV. Not too old to remember when the show is on. Just too
frickin’ old to tolerate for even one more minute.
That’s right, people over 50
are so repugnant that A&E is voluntarily giving up 5.6 million loyal viewers
just to get away from the stink.
Now in its third season, Longmire is an hour-long crime drama set
in rural Wyoming. The show follows Walt Longmire, a gruff-yet-loveable county
sheriff, as he solves crimes and imparts wisdom. Think Law & Order meets House meets
Brokeback Mountain (minus the gay
sex).
The show appeals to an older
audience, no question. The median age of its viewers is 60, versus 48 for
A&E as a whole. Still, with 5.6 million of these geezers watching week in
and week out, you’d think A&E would be better off with them than without.
Not according to A&E
senior vice president Dan Silberman. “We sell the shows to advertisers based on
the demographics of 18-49 and 25-54, and the audience just wasn’t there.” (In
my imagination he speaks like Robbie The Robot from Forbidden Planet, but maybe that’s just me.)
Anyway, you’re absolutely
right Mr. Silberman. That audience just wasn’t there. But you know who was? The
people with all the fucking money!
In the U.S., people over 50 control
about 70% of the wealth. We are responsible for half of all consumer spending
and dominate 94% of CPG categories. And get this, people 50+ buy 62% of all new
cars, with people 65+ buying 60% more new cars than 18-24 year olds.
Hard to believe A&E
didn’t cut these slackers loose a long time ago.
Tomorrow: Business decisions &
other stupid excuses.
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