As recent rounds of industry drama and layoffs at Deadspin and Bustle paint an increasingly rocky future for the media landscape ahead, AARP wants to remind everyone that boomer media is actually still booming.
“OK millennials. But we’re the people that actually have the money,” Myrna Blyth, senior vice president and editorial director of AARP Media, told Axios, copping and misattributing the “Ok boomer” slang that enjoyed a brief window of popularity among Generation Z before it was rapidly adulterated by millennial overuse and comically disproportionate boomer outrage.
While Blyth’s quip doesn’t quite land, she has a point. According to Axios, AARP, aka The American Association of Retired Persons, is among the largest media companies in the country. The brand reportedly brings in more than $174 million annually in media-based advertising revenue. AARP also has nearly 38 million members, whose membership dues add about about $299 million annually to the company’s earnings.
The brand also boasts a surprisingly large print and digital readership. “Our demo drives $7.1 trillion in annual economic activity each and every year,” said Blyth. In 2017, AARP’s bimonthly magazine, which still sports a largely unheard-of masthead of 115 employees, reportedly surpassed People as the nation’s top-circulated print title. The company also owns an additional magazine, The Bulletin, two newsletters, a podcast and YouTube channel with more than 120,000 subscribers.
Media may be dying, but boomer media will outlive us all.
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