[Racer Duck]

Has ESPN found out something about the demographics of the Monday Night Football audience or is it a sign of the times? I counted at least one debt relief commercial in every quarter of tonight's Patriots/Bengals game. And not from one company, but 3 different ones!!!

[NASCAR Gnome]

On radio, particularly satellite radio - Sirius to be exact - I listen primarily to the NASCAR channel 128 and NFL channel 124. On channel 128, some of the more unique advertisements I've heard are advising anger management for male drivers and alcohol addiction rehab, again geared toward male listeners. On channel 124, there have actually been many "male enhancement" adverts and gambling addiction adverts as well. Funny how the two stations cater to the mostly-male listeners but adjust their advertisements according to who they think will likely listen to the stations! I find it fascinating and funny, to be honest.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

Has ESPN found out something about the demographics of the Monday Night Football audience or is it a sign of the times? I counted at least one debt relief commercial in every quarter of tonight's Patriots/Bengals game. And not from one company, but 3 different ones!!!

Here is an excerpt from a study done back in 2001; I'm sure the figures have, at the least tripled since then:
Consumer Debt

One of the biggest hurdles facing the American economy is consumer debt. The current debt of consumers is $2.2 trillion as of the first quarter 2001, which includes credit cards, mortgages, and car loans debt. This debt averages out to be $12,000 for each household of which $8,000 is credit card debt. I don't have the figures at my fingertips but I think this figure is now around $40K total debt with plastic making up around $25K of it. Then you throw in student loans. I just read a report in the WSJ that new lawyers pay upwards of 55% of their earnings to student loans.
What matters worse is that interest has to be paid on this debt. Now interest paid on this debt reduces consumers’ ability to make new purchases, which places a drag on the economy and contracts it further, compounding the problem

Newsweek magazine in their 8/27/01 cover article offers a bleak outlook. “Sixty percent of American families actually spend more than their after-tax income while consumers spend $50 billion more than they earned in April alone. Even more astounding is the fact that 32 million families (i.e. 80 million people) run an annual average deficit of $8,160. These people are exhausting their savings, selling off their investments, and still running huge debts. It will take very little to push them into bankruptcy. For many, just a few months out of work or with reduced income will do the trick.”

That 65% figuire is frightening. As we've seen by this last drop in the stock market, brought on by sleezebags making loans to people who had no business getting them, credit is a BIG problem to the entire country.

I believe that this answers your question; it is, very unfortunately, a sign of the times.