Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Mon, Mar 30 1992 Date: Mon, 30 Mar 92 05:43:33 EST Message-ID: 03-30 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update March 30, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MIDDLE CLASS IS DIVIDED: Before World War II, only 20% of U.S. families earned $2,500 a year or more ($19,912 in 1991 dollars). By the early 1950s, more than half of American families exceeded that standard, says Ralph Whitehead Jr. Whitehead, at work on a book about the middle class, says the expanding middle class of post-World War II continued to grow into the early 1970s, but today there are two middle classes. (For more, see special Class package below.) IRAS A HOT COMMODITY: The bidding war for individual-retirement-account investments has heated up this year. Not in the fray: Banks, pushed out by mutual-fund companies. Lower interest rates on bank certificates of deposit are behind the trend. The average national rate on six-month CDs is 3.92%, vs. 6.1% on five-year CDs. JFK INTEREST CONTINUES: It looks like TV isn't finished with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Over the last few months, programs from "A Current Affair" to "PrimeTime Live" aired reports on the assassination, largely because of the success of the film "JFK." Now with the release of "Ruby" - about Jack Ruby, the man who killed JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald - looks like there's more. FILM FUELS FASCINATION: The release of a film about Jack Ruby, who killed John Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, has fueled the crop of reports on the topic. Monday's "Geraldo" looks at Ruby's role in JFK's death. April 15, James Earl Jones hosts "The JFK Conspiracy." Later in April, an "I Witness Video" report covers Oswald's death. And a miniseries about Lee and wife Marina Oswald is in the works. INCOMES, SPENDING INCREASE: Personal incomes increased 1.1% in February, the biggest leap in three years, the government said Friday. The gain helped support a 0.9% increase in consumer spending. Consumer spending also jumped 0.9% in January and February, the sharpest gains since back-to-back advances in February and March last year, the Commerce Department said. BANK EARNINGS ON THE RISE: Although some banks are in trouble, commercial bank earnings overall have risen, says the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. After steady increases from 1981 to 1985, a slight drop in 1986 to $17.5 recovery to $24.8 in 1988, earnings dropped but have been on the rise since 1989, from $15.6 billion to $18.6 billion in 1991. MORE FILMS MEET REQUIREMENTS: More films meet the requirements to be eligible for an Oscar this year, 238, up from 223 last year. Among minimum requirements: Work must be part of a feature-length motion picture in English or with English subtitles exhibited in Los Angeles County for at least a seven-day run during the 1991 calendar year after an opening before midnight Dec. 31. NEWS PROGRAMS CONTINUE: CBS, which started the current network overnight news trend 10 years ago with "Nightwatch," now brings a new contender to the field: "Up to the Minute." "Up" will include live reports, whereas "Nightwatch" was a taped interview program for the past six years. "Up" also will have stories from affiliates and from other CBS programs. BREAST-FEEDING DECLINES: Programs promoting breast-feeding have sprung up in response to a decline in the last 10 years. According to Ross Laboratories, just 8.5% of mothers breast-fed for that period in 1971, and the number climbed steadily to 40.3% in 1982 before edging downward during the 1980s. In 1989, 30.7% breast-fed, compared with 32.5% in 1988 and 34.8% in 1986. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON CLASS: NEW MIDDLE CLASS EMERGES: There are two middle classes today, according to Ralph Whitehead Jr., at work on a book about the middle class. Whitehead says those over 55 probably are part of the expanding middle class "that flourished in the first 30 years after World War II." But those 45 or younger probably are in the middle class being created by the new economy, he says. THREE COLLARS: The new middle class consists, says Whitehead, of bright collars, new collars and blue collars. Bright collars are managerial types and such professionals as lawyers and architects. New collars are neither professionals nor manual laborers but secretaries and clerks. They're at least 35% of the baby-boom workforce" and are a "rapidly growing part" of the workforce. NO MORE MIDDLE CLASS: Blue-collar workers comprise about 25% of the baby-boom workforce vs. 40% of the adult workforce in the 1950s, Whitehead says. He says wages have been "flat since the '70s" and that younger blue-collar workers are edging down into poverty. If the middle class keeps diverging, society will split into upscale and downscale, leaving no middle class at all, he says. (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM