They may all have the same parent (Time Warner), but when crafting a PR plan, you have to be careful which of the corporate kiddies you sidle up to. As the media get ever
thinner, so do their audiences. CNN, for example, like its rivals Fox News and MSNBC, has several tentacles in both the broadcast and online orbits.
Going for the (ever elusive) 18-to 24-year-old crowd? Then CNN.com is your best bet, as younger people increasingly shift their media allegiance to the Web. Does your
product/service/message cater more to seniors? Then CNN and its sister station CNN Headline News are the go-to vehicles. But if it's the wide swath of baby boomers (70 million
strong) you're targeting, then it's probably best for you to find a way to disperse the message on TV and online. With regard to household income, it's only when you approach the
$50K bracket (or above) that it makes sense to have an online component to your PR/communications plan. Otherwise, most people get their news fix from the tube.
It's all a matter of how you slice and dice things. The tables below list the total number of people in a particular age/household income bracket, the total number of people
who watch CNN or go to CNN.com, and the percentage breakout of specific targets.
Source: Medialink Demographic Intelligence/Scarborough Research, Scarborough USA+ Release 2 2003.
| Watching the CNN Brand: By Age... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total Persons
|
Watched CNN (wk)
|
Watched CNN Headline News (wk)
|
Visited CNN.com (mo)
|
|
| Age of respondent is 18 - 20 |
11,894,525
|
2,991,120
|
2,003,920
|
1,491,005
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
4.30%
|
4.50%
|
7.90%
|
| Age of respondent is 21 - 24 |
15,428,065
|
3,929,975
|
2,549,215
|
1,800,665
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
5.70%
|
5.70%
|
9.50%
|
| Age of respondent is 25 - 29 |
17,667,385
|
4,573,545
|
2,986,220
|
2,082,525
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
6.60%
|
6.70%
|
11.00%
|
| Age of respondent is 30 - 34 |
21,256,755
|
5,687,225
|
3,814,075
|
2,463,615
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
8.20%
|
8.50%
|
13.00%
|
| Age of respondent is 35 - 39 |
21,020,800
|
6,086,075
|
4,343,070
|
2,275,725
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
8.80%
|
9.70%
|
12.00%
|
| Age of respondent is 40 - 44 |
23,305,395
|
6,972,720
|
4,826,380
|
2,302,330
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
10.10%
|
10.80%
|
12.20%
|
| Age of respondent is 45 - 49 |
21,234,600
|
6,781,065
|
4,575,850
|
2,118,355
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
9.80%
|
10.20%
|
11.20%
|
| Age of respondent is 50 - 54 |
19,360,505
|
6,987,760
|
4,481,505
|
1,705,600
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
10.10%
|
10.00%
|
9.00%
|
| Age of respondent is 55 - 59 |
14,939,145
|
5,655,950
|
3,498,720
|
1,159,485
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
8.20%
|
7.80%
|
6.10%
|
| Age of respondent is 60 - 64 |
11,937,530
|
4,650,105
|
2,895,035
|
604,295
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
6.70%
|
6.50%
|
3.20%
|
| Age of respondent is 65 - 69 |
11,344,565
|
4,593,065
|
2,776,455
|
405,635
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
6.70%
|
6.20%
|
2.10%
|
| Age of respondent is 70+ |
24,248,915
|
10,143,015
|
6,097,020
|
529,840
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
14.70%
|
13.60%
|
2.80%
|
| Totals |
|
69,051,620
|
44,939,075
|
18,939,075
|
| ...and Household Income | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total Persons
|
Watched CNN (wk)
|
Watched CNN Headline News (wk)
|
Visited CNN.com (mo)
|
|
| Household income is $10,000 - $19,999 |
14,680,525
|
3,678,185
|
2,453,045
|
523,060
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
5.30%
|
5.50%
|
2.80%
|
| Household income is $20,000 - $24,999 |
12,710,550
|
3,405,265
|
2,127,860
|
526,450
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
4.90%
|
4.70%
|
2.80%
|
| Household income is $25,000 - $29,999 |
15,775,625
|
4,772,690
|
3,011,270
|
824,935
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
6.90%
|
6.70%
|
4.40%
|
| Household income is $30,000 - $34,999 |
14,791,055
|
4,461,060
|
2,842,770
|
841,300
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
6.50%
|
6.30%
|
4.40%
|
| Household income is $35,000 - $39,999 |
18,456,895
|
5,908,980
|
3,785,165
|
1,148,685
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
8.60%
|
8.40%
|
6.10%
|
| Household income is $40,000 - $44,999 |
14,659,655
|
4,439,965
|
2,880,515
|
1,155,175
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
6.40%
|
6.40%
|
6.10%
|
| Household income is $45,000 - $49,999 |
16,588,310
|
5,081,410
|
3,466,580
|
1,444,805
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
7.40%
|
7.70%
|
7.60%
|
| Household income is $50,000 - $74,999 |
41,417,695
|
13,695,245
|
8,866,705
|
4,262,690
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
19.80%
|
19.80%
|
22.50%
|
| Household income is $75,000 - $99,999 |
27,698,470
|
10,085,815
|
6,642,535
|
3,483,455
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
14.60%
|
14.80%
|
18.40%
|
| Household income is $100,000 - $149,999 |
18,206,755
|
7,161,915
|
4,632,830
|
2,734,765
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
10.40%
|
10.30%
|
14.40%
|
| Household income is $150,000 - $249,999 |
6,657,785
|
2,792,945
|
1,793,890
|
1,082,290
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
4.00%
|
4.00%
|
5.70%
|
| Household income is $250,000+ |
3,008,150
|
1,289,165
|
811,905
|
464,995
|
| % of Target (Comp) |
|
1.90%
|
1.80%
|
2.50%
|
| Totals |
|
69,051,620
|
44,939,075
|
18,939,075
|