American Idol - Has It Run Its Course? If so, Why?

American Idol is presenting the Seventh Season. The ratings have declined. There is speculation as to why. The producers have made changes in the past to increase its appeal. These changes have not always been fruitful. The reasons are most likely multifactorial. I will attempt to discuss some here.

One is the demographics involved. (This means the age groups that advertisers like to use.) Some of the demographic groups have been abandoned by advertisers with the result that some popular and well done programs have been cancelled. The people watching were not easily influenced to purchase the sponsors product. The older groups look for value much more and ,for the most part, have little strict brand loyalty. The business of TV is to increase sales for the sponsor. Idol is old enough now that much of the initial audience has 'graduated' from the intended demographic. The sponsors want to appeal to the group with Ipods and mp3 players that are willing to pay to load them.

The key demographic for this program is the younger group that has a lot of 'disposable income', meaning they will spend (waste?) their money on music. These are also the ones more likely to go to concerts. This is the reason for the age limits on the contestants. They are not looking for the next Frank Sinatra or Barry Manilow. They are looking for a 'Teen Idol'. These are the ones that spend (it costs for each vote) money to vote for their favorite several times. Idol has lasted long enough, that many have 'graduated' from the key demographic. This group is also the 'instant gratification' group. If you cannot grab them immediately, the remote will have them gone. This makes the key Idol audience a fickle group.

The lack of suitable talent has raised its ugly head. The first season sucked up a lot of the 'undiscovered' talent. The upper age limit resulted in some that might be good candidates to be disqualified. The producers addressed this issue after Season 4 by raising the age limit. It is true that every year more are turning 16 but only a very select few can sing AND entertain at the level required for stardom. Every year we have seen people that audition in several cities or even over many seasons. San Diego had two retreads shown. One had tried 11 times without success, another had made it but had to drop out because of visa problems. (Does anyone think that the 'American Idol' should be from America?)

One of the features of the early shows has been the deluded. The people that are convinced that they can sing. The people whose parents are living vicariously through their children (i.e. Little League parent equivalents). The people with families and friends that will not tell them how bad they are. Simon was made out to be the villain when he made snarky remarks. (A thinly veiled reference to Simon Legree?) Most of the time, he has actually given heartfelt and honest advice. To some he has offered ways to improve and encouraged them to return. Others have had to have a harsh dose of reality. Try another path in life. The harsher comments have made the headlines (America does love the tabloids). Why? Because we do not reward the good news, we only crave the bad. The producers gave us what we show we want, even though we 'protest' that it should not happen.

The voting. One of the more successful from Idol is Jennifer Hudson. She carries a grudge against Simon. He told her that she was not talented enough to make it as a singer alone. When she was voted off, she railed against Simon. She has not acknowledged that Simon voted to put her on the show but America failed to keep her on. She also has not acknowledged that he was right. There have been voting irregularities that even required votes to be taken over or negated. Season Two saw its own controvery. There were questions about the votes when Ruben Stoddard was chosen over Clay Aiken. Some said a bunch of church ladies in Alabama ran up phone bills stacking the vote. Many thought that Clay should have won. Subsequent events have shown that Clay has had a better commercial value, at least so far. The vote totals are never announced. Do the producers have a special veto power? No one knows but some can speculate. Others shows in the genre have used a combined approach. The judges vote counts for half while the audience counts for half. A system such as this would produce a much better result.

In the past few years, the show become more about the special 'tutors' they brought on to 'help' the singers. The contestants were forced to sing one of the songs of that celebrity. If it was Barry Manilow, there was a large variety to choose from. There was always something that was appropriate. For other celebrities with a narrow focus, it severely handicapped the singers. The handicap also extends to the times when they force a narrow focus on a particular era or genre of song. The judges (at least two of them have) have helped develop many performers by helping them emphasize what they do best. They should help select the best possibility for each singer. The problem with this is which songs can they obtain rights to for a performance.

Has American Idol produced a true Idol. I think that is still for history to say. Kelly Clarkson has had some limited success. Others have had success in other fields of entertainment but there is no Idol in the mold of previous people.

Recommendations -

1) Keep the judges vote as part of the process. They are better judges of what it takes to really become an idol. In the past it has been more of a popularity contest relying on the momentary preferences of the viewers. The producers ignore the fickleness of the demographic they cater to.

2) Let us see more of the best singers singing. The back stories are nice but have nothing to do with their abilities to sing or ,more importantly, entertain.

3) Let us vote on the Best of the Worst. Some of them are entertaining as a one time event. Let the public vote for them as well.

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