Idol ratings drop -- Did they shoot themselves in the foot in shooting down Haley?

[Miguel]

The Wednesday night premiere of Idol was off by 24% (roughly 5M viewers).

Thursday night the ratings dropped even further:

The shields are down on Fox’s Death Star.

Night 2 of American Idol saw ratings slippage and a new level of vulnerability for the long-running reality sensation. Idol delivered 18 million viewers and a 5.7 adult demo rating, according to Fox’s time-zone-adjusted nationals. That’s down 27 percent from its Thursday premiere last year and off 23 percent from its season premiere the previous night.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/20/idol-r...drop+again

A lot of things likely contributed to the decline, but I can't help but think back to how the Idol audience for the performance finale dropped by three million people when Haley was eliminated. By that point, the machinations of the show had been laid bare and it was clear to even casual observers that the judging in the later rounds was biased against Haley. No doubt many people -- new viewers and longtime viewers alike -- were left with such a bad taste in their mouth they swore off watching the show again.

[buzzenator]

The Wednesday night premiere of Idol was off by 24% (roughly 5M viewers).

Thursday night the ratings dropped even further:

The shields are down on Fox’s Death Star.

Night 2 of American Idol saw ratings slippage and a new level of vulnerability for the long-running reality sensation. Idol delivered 18 million viewers and a 5.7 adult demo rating, according to Fox’s time-zone-adjusted nationals. That’s down 27 percent from its Thursday premiere last year and off 23 percent from its season premiere the previous night.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/20/idol-r...drop+again

A lot of things likely contributed to the decline, but I can't help but think back to how the Idol audience for the performance finale dropped by three million people when Haley was eliminated. By that point, the machinations of the show had been laid bare and it was clear to even casual observers that the judging in the later rounds was biased against Haley. No doubt many people -- new viewers and longtime viewers alike -- were left with such a bad taste in their mouth they swore off watching the show again.

If you live in a "Haley Centric" world, which all Haliens do, then this is not only plausible but must be the only logical conclusion. Call it Haley's Revenge! Nigel's short term solution last year was to turn a page from the "Quiz Show" manifesto...when it doubt "Rig the Results". It worked for TPTB at Idol for one year, but in the end it turned off so many viewers who saw that the fix was in. I love it...and it conforms to all things Haley, which is our mantra.

Notice how Nigel has purposely played down the country factor, so far in season 11. There had to be a thousand cowboy dudes with low voices trying out, and we haven't seen one. He has decided that this is not a country year for guys (unlike season 10)...which was, depending how you look at it a blessing/curse for Haley last year.

Oh, I see...I outed myself on watching this year...but it is only for the purpose of seeing/hearing a Haley reference

[NUG]

American Idol has a long tradition of pushing the show in the direction they want it to go, and a lot of viewers have gotten more and more fed up with it over the years. Of course, I'll never stop watching, lol. I just hate Randy a little more each season.

[midnightblues]

Season 10 was the pinnacle. It looks like the ratings don't lie.

[fover]

Season 10 was the pinnacle. It looks like the ratings don't lie.

And, I can't believe it was due to the country kids!

[Miguel]

The slow and depressing decline of ‘American Idol’

It may still be dominating the ratings, but the shadow cast by "American Idol" is nowhere near as long as it once was. While this isn't exactly news - "Idol" has been losing viewers for years now - there was a ratings uptick during last season, mostly thanks to renewed interest in the show due to strong contestants (like winner Scotty McCreery and third-place finalist Haley Reinhart), as well as a new judging panel that included Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Jenny From The Block herself, Jennifer Lopez.

However, the ratings were apparently too good to last. According to Entertainment Weekly, in its season premiere last Wednesday night, "Idol" was down 24 percent from last season's premiere to just a little over 21 million viewers - still an impressive figure, but poor compared to past seasons. There are plenty of excuses to be made: shows like "The X Factor" and "The Voice" dilute the brand, television ratings are down across the board, etc. But none of them strike quite to the heart of what's wrong in Idolville.

According to a post written by Josef Adalian in New York Magazine's online pop culture blog Vulture, the executive producers of "American Idol" tried purposefully after the derided ninth season to replace outgoing judges Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara Dioguardi with bigger names who wouldn't be nearly as critical. Cowell, of course, was the king of the harsh critique and introduced blunt honesty into American television following the success of "American Idol" predecessor "Pop Idol" in the United Kingdom. Too many reality shows had become known for having "the Simon" or "the mean Brit" on their judging panels, so it was a conscious effort on the producers' part not to cast such a stereotype.

In casting Lopez and Tyler, the producers only succeeded in turning "American Idol" into something of a dog-and-pony show. While both judges showed promise in the early rounds of season 10, soon enough they descended into strongly praising every single performance of every contestant. When the media backlash against this "nice is the new mean" judging philosophy began, Lopez and longtime judge Randy Jackson started doling out harsher critiques - against third-place finisher Reinhart. All other contestants were immune.

The nicer judgment style became a trend, with judges on "The Voice" left to playfully bicker with each other and ignore any bum notes the contestants might have sung, while a defanged Simon Cowell soon appeared on "The X Factor." Since then, all three shows have begun to look very similar - so much so that with "The Voice" coming back soon and "The X Factor" having just crowned Melanie Amaro as the first season winner, viewers have plenty of chances to see the same old, same old.

"American Idol" is no longer event television - it's simply a popular television show that peaked awfully early and is living far beyond its expiration date. The winners in recent seasons haven't been able to live up to the reputation that Kelly Clarkson built. While Reinhart managed to capture the zeitgeist once or twice with inspired renditions of songs like "The House of the Rising Sun" and "I (Who Have Nothing)," most performances barely make a dent in the greater pop culture landscape. Coming from a time when "Idol" was pop culture, it is now a footnote.

The ratings for "Idol" will continue to stay strong for a while, perhaps supported by those fans that want to see another Jennifer Hudson or Carrie Underwood in the making. But FOX would do well to realize that the show is far beyond its prime. They have "The X Factor," which they could easily make into a hit if they would just stop acting like it already is one. "American Idol" is done. The days of Clarkson, Underwood and Chris Daughtry are long gone, and when it's finally laid to rest, few will show up for the funeral.

"This is the opinion of Kevin O'Keeffe, a sophomore screenwriting major from Austin, Texas. Please send comments to..."

http://www.laloyolan.com/arts_and_entert...0f31a.html

He makes an interesting observation about the judging landscape but I think he misstates the reason for Jennifer and Randy's "harsher critiques" of Haley. Still, it's always good to see the unbalanced judging noted and Haley lauded for her performances.

---

Sunday night ratings per TV by the Numbers:

Fox dominated the night with over 3.5 hours of the NFC Championship taking place in Sunday primetime as the game went deep into an overtime period. To double disclaim, the numbers below are not time zone adjusted, do not include the 6:30-7p ET portion of the game and will be adjusted up. Post game coverage ran nearly until 11pm ET so the special telecast of American Idol didn't begin until 10:57p on the east coast but still scored a 7.9 adults 18-49 rating and 19.8 million viewers in time zone adjusted numbers from Fox. On a household ratings basis in the local metered markets, the game was the highest-rated NFC Championship in 17 years with a 33.4/48 rating share, peaking during the overtime with a 39.3/55.

[John Brown]

He makes an interesting observation about the judging landscape but I think he misstates the reason for Jennifer and Randy's "harsher critiques" of Haley. Still, it's always good to see the unbalanced judging noted and Haley lauded for her performances.

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Sunday night ratings per TV by the Numbers:

While he is right about Randy and JLO attacking Haley to the exclusion of the other contestants, especially in the second half of the season, I believe he is wrong about American Idol's days being numbered. It is still the most authentic, the most genuine, and the most intimate of the talent show contest on TV. I see it being around for a long, long time to come.

What I would suggest to improve the show is for the TPTB to fork out more cash to expand the music catalog. After all these years it definitely needs expansion.

Get rid of Randy Jackson as he has way over stayed his welcome and is actually a drag on the show and the ratings today. I mean everyone knows he is going to call the contestants a “dawg,” tell them “welcome back, back, back” six weeks in a row, and say, “in it to win it,” the proverbial kiss of death, four or five times a night, which is why Haley rolled her eyes when Randy said, “in it to win it,” after her performance of “IWHN.” Not to mention that he isn't objective unless he has to be. Try to get Karen Dioguardi back or some other big name major singer/song writer/music producer to replace Randy. Someone who has credibility and a much better personality.

The judges need to stop criticizing the contestant’s song choices and judge them strictly only on performances because it influences the audiences. If the contestants pick the wrong songs, they will inevitably get voted off by the public. Indeed, let the public make the decision and more people will watch and participate. If the show wants any input on song choices, let Jimmy Iovine or the music producers warn the contestants beforehand in private.

Also, the judges must make a much more concerted effort to be less biased, more objective, and more constructive. Or otherwise be less obvious. At the same time they don't need to destroy the contestants self-esteem like Randy tried to do with respect to Haley last season, but the judges feedback should not consist solely of stupid and idiotic praise either like it did too often last season. They should strive to make the contestants steadily improve throughout the season, without the judges trying to steal the show for themselves. Indeed, the show should be about the contestants and not the judges.

The most important thing AI can do to improve the show is to go to one vote per person. If they figure out how to do that, it will make the show far more credible and genuine.

[Miguel]

I believe he is wrong about American Idol's days being numbered.

I also thought that

What I would suggest to improve the show is for the TPTB to fork out more cash to expand the music catalog.

Definitely. The show is probably a victim of its own success here. The royalty fees are probably astronomical because of the show's vast reach.

Get rid of Randy Jackson as he has way over stayed his welcome and is actually a drag on the show and the ratings today.

He's become a bit of a joke. I don't know if he hurts Idol's ratings but he definitely hurts the show's credibility. I don't know that Dioguardi would come back though because according to Steven's book she sought him out to replace her.

The judges need to stop criticizing the contestant’s song choices and judge them strictly only on performances because it influences the audiences.

I'm surprised to the extent this happens. Haley's detractors point to her "inconsistent performances" when she was criticized for her inconsistent song choices. Perhaps because of the manner in which the criticism is delivered, "I'm sorry baby..."

Also, the judges must make a much more concerted effort to be less biased, more objective, and more constructive.

I agree. One of the reasons people watch the show is to see beginners flourish. That's one reason Haley's "journey" was so compelling.

At the same time they don't need to destroy the contestants' self-esteem like Randy tried to do with respect to Haley last season...

People can accept constructive criticism from people they professionally respect if it's given in a nurturing way. Conflicts arise when the mentor is not respected and their advice is held in low regard. This may have been the problem with Randy and Haley.

[john]

The judges need to stop criticizing the contestant’s song choices and judge them strictly only on performances because it influences the audiences.

I'm surprised to the extent this happens. Haley's detractors point to her "inconsistent performances" when she was criticized for her inconsistent song choices. Perhaps because of the manner in which the criticism is delivered, "I'm sorry baby..."

I generally agree with the comments in the post, but for now I will just speak to this one. It is surprising how often the words of Randy (and to a lesser extent, J-Lo and to a greater lesser extent, Steven) are repeated in the media. Not just by internet bloggers and the like, but by reviewers working for well known magazines, papers, websites, and other outlets. And then these reports get repeated, until it becomes conventional wisdom meme. More than once I've grimaced when reading a passing comment that parrots the prevailing memes is made about a Haley performance, when it is obvious the writer never saw it or at least had never developed an independent opinion about it. These comments influence overall opinions of contestant, as well as AI votes and the popularity of a specific song.

I think the judges need to be trained a bit and perhaps given some structure in how they give feedback. But Nigel probably likes it freewheeling since it gives more opportunity to manipulate things.

There are also issues regarding the way votes are counted. The current unlimited voting approach might change if the overall voting numbers go down. I imagine Nigel has been hoping to top 100 million so he could tout the number. If numbers are down this year they might instead play up some of the changes being made for 2013.

[John Brown]

The judges need to stop criticizing the contestant’s song choices and judge them strictly only on performances because it influences the audiences.

I'm surprised to the extent this happens. Haley's detractors point to her "inconsistent performances" when she was criticized for her inconsistent song choices. Perhaps because of the manner in which the criticism is delivered, "I'm sorry baby..."

I generally agree with the comments in the post, but for now I will just speak to this one. It is surprising how often the words of Randy (and to a lessor extent, J-Lo and to a greater lessor extent, Steven) are repeated in the media. Not just by internet bloggers and the like, but by reviewers working for well known magazines, papers, websites, and other outlets. And then these reports get repeated, until it becomes conventional wisdom meme. More than once I've grimaced when reading a passing comment that parrots the prevailing memes is made about a Haley performance, when it is obvious the writer never saw it or at least had never developed an independent opinion about it. These comments influence overall opinions of contestant, as well as AI votes and the popularity of a specific song.

I think the judges need to be trained a bit and perhaps given some structure in how they give feedback. But Nigel probably likes it freewheeling since it gives more opportunity to manipulate things.

There are also issues regarding the way votes are counted. The current unlimited voting approach might change if the overall voting numbers go down. I imagine Nigel has been hoping to top 100 million so he could tout the number. If numbers are down this year they might instead play up some of the changes being made for 2013.

If the judges criticize the contestant's song choices, to me they are just trying to unduly influence or bias the viewing audience against a particular contestant, as many people just automatically discount or even dismiss the performances instead of judging them on their merits, and the merits of each performance should be the sole criteria for judging the contestants. Let the audience decide if it is the wrong song choice without the influence of the judges.