How to pitch Gen Z? ABC pulls together a youth panel

The national broadcaster has put together a new panel of Gen Z journalists to advise its older bosses on how to reach a younger crowd.

The ABC’s new Gen Z panel have been tasked with advising the national broadcaster on strategies to reach younger audiences. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The national broadcaster has appointed a panel of Gen Z journalists to guide it on the best ways to engage younger audiences.

The Australian understands that the panel, established earlier this month, includes several Gen Z journalists – a cohort born between 1997 and 2012 –whose job will involve telling ABC bosses what’s hot and what’s not for a younger crowd.

The push from the national broadcaster comes as not only media but tech companies and other industries have begun to fork out big sums on researching the next generation of workers to find out what makes them tick.

The ABC did not respond to questions about whether it was looking to establish a new youth-focused product or whether the move was aimed simply to inform its general reporting.

However, a spokeswoman confirmed the new panel was part of an initiative to seek out broad perspectives.

“We have various initiatives canvassing a range of perspectives and ideas on meeting audience needs,” she said.

Gen Z appears to be bucking the trend much more than other generations when it comes to work and media consumption.

ABC chair Ita Buttrose. Picture: Emma Brasier/Women in Media

Research conducted by Crowd DNA and commissioned by social media giant Snap earlier this year found that even Millennials struggle to keep up with their younger peers — only about half of whom are legally allowed to work fulltime.

Snap says it has 8 million monthly users, and reaches 80 per cent of Gen Z between the ages of 13 and 24 each month.

That figure drops slightly to 75 per cent when inclusive of Millennials and Gen Z, aged between 13 and 34.

Snap and Crowd DNA’s research found that Gen Z believed Millennials were 56 per cent less likely to understand Gen Z communication styles and 55 per cent less likely to understand their culture. Of the Millennial respondents, 42 per cent agreed regarding the communication difference and 48 per cent agreed regarding a cultural difference.

Gen Z was found to see the online world as a place to make endless money with 87 per cent seeking an income outside of a nine to five job.

In ABC’s 2023-2026 Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Plan, released earlier this year, the corporation outlined five key pillars which were: having a diverse workforce; inclusion in practice; inclusive content, products and services; connection with Indigenous and diverse communities; and accountability and transparency.

ABC chair Ita Buttrose, in her keynote speech at a Women in Media conference on Friday, said it was unacceptable to have a workforce which didn’t reflect society.