Media slang for daytime television's target audience. Nicknamed for the segment of the population appealed to by commercials running from about 10AM to 5PM. Ads tend to be from industries like for-profit schools (ITT Tech, DeVry), personal injury/tax lawyers (Roni Deutsch, Binder and Binder) and car insurance companies that work with DUIs and tickets (The General, Cost-U-Less). Getting bumped to this timeslot is either the death rattle or a sign of syndication for sitcoms.
"Daytime television, you can tell who’s watching by the three kinds of commercials. Either it’s clinics for drying out drunks. Or it’s law firms who want to settle injury suits. Or it’s schools offering mail-order vocational degrees to make you a bookkeeper. A private detective. Or a locksmith. If you’re watching daytime television, this is your new demographic. You’re a drunk. Or a cripple. Or an idiot. "
Chuck Palahniuk, Haunted
"Jerry Springer just got bumped to the idiot demographic."
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