Super Seniors

Sex, politics, finance, the rage in diets, and best vacations. Like the 20- to 40-something generations, baby boomers want to be in the know on such hot topics. But John Erickson will tell you that mainstream media is not producing programming with that group in mind.
Erickson is, to many, one of the fathers of retirement living in the region, as founder and executive officer of Erickson Retirement Communities, the Columbia-based corporation that owns Charlestown Retirement Community and many other similar campuses. And the lack of programming tailored to seniors—a group whose numbers will explode with the retirement of the baby boomers—is why Erickson has launched a sort of AARP magazine for TV, a national cable network targeting the 55-plus viewer.
Retirement Living TV (RLTV), which debuted last September, airs in 29 million households via DirecTV and Comcast, with 100,000 viewers tuning in at any one time, says Brad Knight, RLTV president.
Producers have recruited an interesting mix of talent, from sex therapist Dr. Ruth to Florence Henderson, AKA the "Brady Bunch" mom, to journalism icon Walter Cronkite. US News & World Report and NBC have joined the picture, partnering on the content.
Moving from concept to product, producers found themselves in uncharted waters. "I expected a huge challenge in finding quality TV personnel," says Vice President of Programming Elliot Jacobson, who moved from L.A. to start the Baltimore-based cable network. "But with networks like Discovery Channel and a DC-based news corps, we found an impressive team and were able to bring in high-profile talent. Especially instrumental was that John [Erickson] had a great, timely concept with boomers coming into retirement."
RLTV was jump-started with $1 million from the Erickson Foundation, and is now looking into satellite radio, web-based programming, and specials with short run times. Next year, RLTV moves into a studio in a $20 million building on the UMBC Research and Technology Park, driving a push to sign more sponsors, with Pfizer, Prudential Financial, and other large corporations already on board.
Erickson, happy with the launch, says, "We have used the media as a vehicle to strip stereotypes, give older viewers what they want, and show that they are a consumer base to be reckoned with. That's why it is working—and no one else has done it."