May 8, 2008

American Idol ratings down but show still strong

An article on ABC News online wonders if American Idol has lost it’s mojo.

Ratings for the TV juggernaut are down, but critics say the show is still strong.

The ABC article says:

It's huge. It's gigantic. It's an unmatched ratings machine that other networks would kill for. So why won't the rumors subside? Could "American Idol" really be in trouble?

Katie Lachter started watching "American Idol" during her last year of law school, which was the mercurial Fox talent show's first season. Now in its seventh incarnation, the show's parade of crooning, wannabe pop stars is still appointment TV.

"It's a really fun and an upbeat thing to watch," said Lachter, now a lawyer in New York. Around her law firm, she said, "it's definitely water cooler talk."

Anne Charity hosts a weekly "Idol" party in her Williamsburg, Va., home.

"We're a regular group of six," said Charity, a linguistics professor. "We like [Idol contestant] David Cook, because he's got that rock thing going on."

Lachter, 29, and Charity, 32, are in the heart of a demographic that television executives and advertisers love to court. But these days, that sought-after group of Idol watchers is shrinking:

It's been widely reported that ratings for the Fox Network show are down this season, with a steeper decline among viewers age 18 to 49.

The ratings drop has both "Idol" fans and foes to ask the same question: Is the seven-year ratings juggernaut on its way out?

I watched most of one American Idol show and never went back. I had more interesting things to do such as rearrange my sock drawer and dust the pantry shelves.

I do, however, know better than to put auctions on eBay that close while American Idol is on TV.

It’s a mindless show but my guess is that Fox will keep it going for a few more years.

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