Choosing how we consume our media at breakfast time is almost instinctive - we switch on, log on or turn the page of what ever medium is the most accessible. Or is there something more to it? What drives your decisions at weekday breakfast time?
Cocoa Pops, Weetbix, Pop Tarts, bacon and eggs or marmalade on toast. These days the choices for breakfast are countless and most of us barely consider our options - we just make do with what is most convenient. Choosing how we consume our media at this time of day is also almost instinctive - we switch on, log on or turn the page of what ever medium is the most accessible. Or is there something more to it? What drives your decisions at weekday breakfast time?
Between 6am and 8.30am most households have a plethora of tasks to do before the "working day" officially begins. Take for example a household with two working parents, one child at the local primary school and one at the local creche. In this time slot parents need to shower, groom (sometimes wash and blow dry) their hair, apply makeup and consume at least one cup of tea or coffee and a slice of toast. At the same time parents need to ensure that both children are up, hair brushed, clothing on, and fed at least one bowl of cereal each. During this time, some super-organised parents also squeeze in some personal fitness - a run perhaps or a little morning yoga, or even get through a few emails at the breakfast table. In addition to all of this, parents also feel compelled to come up to speed with the latest news - local, national and international - via whatever means possible before it's time to jump into the car, catch the bus or train or walk to work, dropping the children off enroute to primary school and creche. Phew.
Breakfast is without doubt, a frenetic time of day, requiring almost military organisation for most families. Even if you do not have children to organise, the time at breakfast is often very tight with no margin of time for bad hair days or lost car keys. So when it comes to making decisions about what to have for breakfast or how to interact with the media at breakfast time, it comes as no surprise that most of these decisions are based on convenience, routine and instinct - the easiest way to access what you need to know.
The range of media choices at breakfast time is certainly growing. It may not be at quite the same stage as the evening media slot where the choices are proliferating every week - but there is definitely a huge variety and a medium to suit all tastes. Breakfast radio has historically been a true New Zealand favourite. Dials tuned to radio stations of choice, New Zealand listeners can listen to radio while still in bed, have a radio on in almost every room of the house, and in the car on the way to work. Breakfast results from the latest commercial radio audience measurement survey show Newstalk ZB holding the highest share -17.2 % of the commercial radio breakfast market, followed by Classic Hits with a 10.2% share, and third place being shared by the Rock and More FM networks with an 8.9% share. The beauty of radio is, of course, that it is hands free and allows you to attend to all those other tasks while you are listening.
Many thousands of New Zealand consumers choose to take in their morning news fix through the morning dailies - New Zealand Herald has a net daily circulation of 213,150 copies, with the largest provincial paper being Hamilton's Waikato Times with a circulation of 40,622. For some, reading a newspaper at this hour is considered somewhat a luxury as it requires unbroken attention for periods of at least more than 20 minutes - for consumers with children this is probably an unrealistic target. Hence the move by many who leave for work half an hour earlier and spend this "salvaged" time in a quiet cafe to read the paper - much more satisfying.
Breakfast television is an option that is certainly competing for viewers - a recent survey in the US showed 59% of Americans tuned into local TV as their first source of news, followed by national TV (47%) and radio (44%). New Zealand's current TV options include TVNZ's Breakfast, hosted by Kay Gregory and co-host Paul Henry, and Good Morning hosted by Sarah Bradley and former Tall Black and radio host Brendon Pongia. ASB Business is an attractive option for many corporate professionals who need an instant business update before they head to work, with many opting for BBC or CNN on Sky for an international news fix.
For some time now, newspapers and radio and television broadcasters have recognised the potential threat that online media presents to the traditional consumption of media. News websites, including MSN, BBC World, The Guardian, Scoop, Stuff, The Times, CNN, NZ Herald and many more, have sprung up. Some 50 million Americans now turn to the internet for news on a typical day. Over the last four years, internet penetration rose from 58% of all adult Americans to 70%. This is true even at breakfast time - in the past predominantly the domain of radio and newspapers - there are increasing numbers of people logging on to get their news online. Take for example the news that TV3 decided to pull the plug on its proposed launch of a new breakfast television programme to rival TVNZ's Breakfast. TV3 chiefs said the increasing fragmentation of the market was behind the change of heart. "I'm not sure we get the best bang for our buck in the early morning."
While it is well accepted that many working professionals will log on to news websites at work, as more people move to working remotely, logging on for news updates could become commonplace at home too. Imagine having your laptop on the corner of the breakfast table, inbox open, and a news website on screen to browse through between gulps of coffee. Much more manageable than wrestling with over-sized newspapers - you can click and choose which news you want to read and you can check your emails at the same time. Certainly food for thought. |
