an early riser. Believe it or not, there is a live newscast on ABC at 3:30 in the morning. I often turn it on while eating my breakfast cereal before leaving for work. The two anchors, a man and a woman, are perhaps in their thirties. They have good chemistry and do a decent job presenting clips from the prior day’s news as well as
reading any brand new items. At times they have live feeds from other reporters but typically these originate in another country where the time is much later
, like London, Israel, or Italy. One thing that has caught my eye over time is the overwhelming theme of the types of commercials they run to pay for this early morning programming.T
here’s a plethora of ads that feature mobility scooter type devices. AARP runs ads for membership and life insurance. The classic “I’ve fallen and can’t get up” communications devices are represented. You do not see any red convertibles or mod style clothing commercials. No baby diaper ads but there are the ones made for elder care needs. I am in and out as I get ready for 
work but I am sure they run the standard fare of stereotypical false teeth cleanser products, bladder control pills, and many other of these types of targeted ads. What does this tell us? THEY KNOW WHO IS WATCHING AT 3:30 A.M.!Wh
ile knowing they know may anger me a little, you have to give them credit for recognizing their demographics. My wife is in love with the Game Show Network. (She almost left town when they added poker to their lineup!) Old game shows, new game shows, she likes them all. You do not have to wonder about t
he targeted audience for commercials on this network. It’s predominately the same as the ones for the 3:30 a.m. newscast. Some of our grandchildren visit often enough that they have become fans of the game shows as well. It is an interesting thing to observe young impressionable children trying to delay coming to eat their breakfast because they want to find out from Monty Hall which door is hiding the b
ig deal for the day. I’m not sure my wife is helping them to develop their interpersonal skills. I can just hear them on the bus talking to their best buddies. “No I didn’t see that ‘Suite Life’ episode with Zach and Cody, we were too busy watching Gary Moore on one of the classic black and white versions of ‘I’ve Got A Secret’. Maybe not quite that bad, but you get the picture.How does it feel to be bombarded with particular types of ads that remind you over and over again of the endless varieties of ailments and special needs you could be dealing with at any moment? Fortunately, we learn how to tune them out but that’s not to say they don’t know that too. That’s why they run them over and over again because they figure you will end up catching some of the mes
sage even if you are aggravated. It’s called a war of attrition. Obviously, since I could write about the types they are running, it shows I’ve paid some attention thus far. And, I’m pretty sure that I am finally ready to at least consider that AARP membership. Those people in that commercial remind me a lot of us! Might as well smile because you too, (if not already), will one day become a part of this uniquely targeted audience! Have a great day anyway and may God bless! Amen. …..More later.
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