With 'Idol,' less could equal more

Phil Rosenthal | Media

May 16, 2008

Fox's "American Idol," which wraps up its seventh go-round next week, has become an aging tenor. It's still a far bigger draw than anything that's come along but not hitting the high notes quite the way it once did.

"I would say I'm satisfied creatively, but not necessarily satisfied with the performance," Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori told reporters in a conference call Thursday to talk about the network's future plans.

But Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly, Liguori's lieutenant, called for some perspective: "It's not like it's in the death throes here."

When King Kong's grip loosens, however, it's news.

Phil Rosenthal Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

"American Idol" has been the 800-pound gorilla of prime time, pretty much doing whatever it wants for years, and people have long waited for it to fall.

Its numbers are decidedly off, even as it averages north of 27 million viewers and continues to hold down the No. 1 and No. 2 spots among prime-time shows. Viewership this season peaked with the 33 million who tuned in to the show's January debut, with this week's shows attracting fewer than 25 million viewers.

That, combined with last summer's slack ticket sales for the "Idol" concert tour, is hardly lost on anyone connected with the annual singing/popularity contest at Fox, which overtook CBS as the nation's most popular network overall this season.

"I can share with you and assure you that both the network and the producers really want to take a look at the show for next year and see what we can do to inject it with new levels of energy, new unpredictable twists and turns, and greater levels of storytelling," Liguori said.

"We do constantly want to make the show the most relevant, zeitgeisty show on TV, to keep it on the tips of everyone's tongues."

There's a slogan for you: "American Idol"—it's zeitgeisty!

Even with its ratings eroded, people talk about "Idol."

The problem is that after arguing the relative merits of finalists David Archuleta and David Cook, fans are apt to complain about how padded the weekly results show is at one hour and compare notes on how to kill time during the boring parts.

"I would say we're leaning more toward a half-hour next year," said Liguori, who said there are no plans to replace judge Paula Abdul.

It was obvious things were off this year when even the bizarre spectacle of Abdul evaluating a performance viewers hadn't yet seen on a live telecast didn't produce a subsequent bump in the ratings.

Part of the blame can be placed on the fact "Idol" is an aging program and, while exceptional in terms of audience growth over the years, apparently is still vulnerable to the declines that come with no longer being the hot new thing.

Also, overall TV network viewership has taken a hit following the writers strike, which disrupted production of scripted dramas and comedies. Viewers have bailed on all of prime time.

"I do think the show has somewhat suffered by the poststrike malaise of folks watching broadcast TV, and what show's going to suffer most? The No. 1 show," Liguori said.

No matter how zeitgeisty.

Da beef: CNBC's "Fast Money" originates from The Cadillac Palace Theatre on Friday at 4 p.m. It's only the third road trip for host Dylan Ratigan's show. Guests will include CME Group Executive Chairman Terry Duffy and Playboy Chief Executive Christie Hefner.

Here's hoping CNBC goes lightly on the kind of Windy City cliches we get every time a national show visits, like the one in its news release touting Chicago as "serving up trades lately as good as its deep-dish pizza."

Rumor starter: Yes, that was Erich "Mancow" Muller with Tribune Co. Chief Operating Officer Randy Michaels at Tribune Tower around lunchtime on Thursday. Muller did not return a call for comment afterward.

philrosenthal@tribune.com