59-05-032 Proceeding

120 Proceedings of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Congress III. Findings and Discussion In Figure 1 you can see approaches to developing TV programs for the elderly, which was synthesized from the research findings concerning the status of TV programming for the elderly on free TV channels.Three kinds of factors were identified, consisting of external factors, internal factors and programming factors. A. External factors These factors will support an increase in the number of TV programs aimed specifically at older audiences.They consistmainly of 1) increasing numbers of elderly people in the population; 2) CSR marketing strategies; and 3) government policies. 1) Rising numbers of elderly: The number of elderly people is rising in the whole world, including Thailand. Increasing numbers of retirees will have specific problems and demand. The research found that TV is amedium that is viewed to a large extent by the elderly.The TVwatching behavior of adolescents and working age people is different because they tend to watch programs on the Internet more. This finding is consistent with the report of Datis Khajeheian et al., who found that elderly people tended to use conventional media like TV, radio and newspapers, while younger people were more interested in new media than conventional media [8]. 2) CSRMarketing: The findings of this research indicated that TV station administrators should pay more attention to the segment of elderly viewers because many of them still work and lead normal lives in society. Aiming some programming at the elderly is a way of sacrificing and returning some benefits to society. If TV stations aim only to make profits, then they could play a part in making elderly people fall victim to deceitful advertisements. In addition, socially responsible advertising can help elderly people live happily in society and build a good image for goods, services and organizations that aid the elderly. This follows the main point of CSR policies, to show responsibility towards consumers and to help develop society. [9] TV programs aimed at elderly audiences are one business opportunity for sponsors, but they should not be labeled as programs for the elderly because most TV stations, sponsors and advertising agencies would not dare to be associated with programming or products for the elderly. This is because the word “elderly” has a negative connotation. People are afraid of getting old and don’t want to feel out of date or past their prime. Viewers don’t want to admit that they are elderly and young people don’t want to get caught watching programs for the elderly for fear of ridicule. Therefore, content for the elderly should be inserted into ordinary programming in order to maintain the youthful image of TV stations, sponsors and viewers. 3) Government policy: Thailand has laws, policies and approaches to support media for the elderly. In 2002, in honor of His Majesty the King’s 72 nd birthday, and because the year was declared the year of the elderly by UNESCO, representatives from public and private sector organizations for the aged and qualified experts joined to draft the nine articles of the 2002 Declaration of Thai Senior Citizens. One of the articles states that senior citizens should have continuous opportunities for learning and developing their personal potential, and should have