American Article

The world of television is full of ratings, drama and entertainment but in order to get those ratings it is required that the entertainment be at a suitable level.  Many people have heard for years that American Idol is the top rated show on television and in simple terms this just means that more people are tuning in to watch than any other show on television.  This means that the impact of the show doing poorly is honestly quite small in the overall scheme of things, but still requires some attention.

For years the hit show has commanded the top spot for ratings and combined with the pricy $700,000 ads for a mere 30 seconds has been one of the most profitable and popular shows on television.  Now at the conclusion of season 7 there is a significant drop in the ratings and many people are sitting around and asking exactly why the ratings are plunging and what can be done to change them.  In order to really understand how the ratings are being effected it should first be pointed out the American Idol has really enjoyed the top spot for years with very little competition.

For the 2008 season which was the most recent season 7 the lowest ratings that have been reported was a paltry 21.25 million.  This is still enormous but in terms to the opening show of the season on January 15 at 33.24 million viewers it is a substantial drop.  Watching as the ratings fall people are starting to wonder exactly where everyone is going, why is there no emotional attachment that is encouraging viewers to watch.  The answer is not simple, but there are several reasons why the viewership is down.

For the majority of shows the ratings are significantly lower, but American Idol in all of its infinite glory has captured the title as the most popular show on television.  The problems lately have occurred due to several problems.  With the writers’ strike that has caused numerous problems for other television shows many people started looking to new locations for entertainment.  This combined with many people feeling as if the newest season of American Idol was a fix due to the large number of seasoned professionals competing caused many people to abandon the show early on.

The show overall has still enjoyed a rather significant run as the top champion and the changes that are occurring in the ratings may seem substantial but in reality all it spells is that more people are looking to new shows for entertainment.  Those who love the show have absolutely nothing to worry about since the ratings are still enormous; the only worry is that Fox may have to adjust the prices that they charge for advertising.  In terms of still giving viewers plenty of entertainment the show still to this day delivers and for the one lucky finalist to emerge as the American Idol of the year there is the guarantee of receiving a vehicle from Ford, plus a recording contract and a change to have a huge music career.

Getting past all of the negative influences that are trying to say that the show is going under leaves people with plenty of reasons to tune in next year.  But with the ratings falling to a level that has not been seen since season 2, it is no doubt that the producers of the show will sit around trying to organize some new ways to shake up the industry in the attempt to bring all of the viewers back.  How successful the measures will be is still yet to be seen, however it is sure to be some pleasing changes that will leave thousands more auditioning to be part of the biggest show on television.  Searching for the next American Idol each year is often a thrilling time of year, and watching as someone goes from the small audition to the large star at the finale is always a true experience.

With so many extremely talented singers on the show, it was a wonder for many people exactly how Sanjaya managed to stay for so long.  The sheer fact was that the boy could really sing, this combined with their talent and skills enabled most people to eagerly support the young boy.  It was not until after a short period of time in the finals that it becomes rather obvious that Sanjaya simply was not interested in winning anymore.  Something deep inside changed and learning exactly how he was going to get out of the show is what started making things interesting.

In the beginning, people watched Sanjaya simply for the benefit of watching him sing and perform.  As everyone knows, people were all interested in his actual singing ability for the longest time.  After a brief period, it became less about his singing ability and much more on the outrageous hairstyles, and even strange outfits that he would choose to wear.  Somewhere along the line, the importance of his performances started shifting and the amazingly talented young boy turned into the joke of the show.  The overall Sanjaya incident was incredible for American Idol though.

If you consider all of the people that watched to vote for him because they remembered how great he was before, added together with all of the people who tuned in to watch him see what crazy antics he would pull for each episode it equaled up to an enormous ratings boost for Idol.  Sites like VoteForTheWorst.com also had a true field day with Sanjaya as well.  With continuous cries to keep Sanjaya around he managed to last for a very long time before finally receiving the boot.

If you were truly honest, you would have to admit that the young boy could sing.  However, watching performances that were less about his singing and more on his song selection, hairstyle and even clothes was much more entertaining for the audience.  Plus, his little quips back and forth with Simon and the other judges certainly helped to increase viewers as well while people were watching to see exactly what he would say to Simon next.

With an adorably lovable quality to him, his draw from teenage girls was instantly noticeable.  He seemed to be the easily approachable guy that they could all dream about.  This combined with his bad boy charm added to his appeal even more.  With all of his talent and his unique flair for extremely creative haircuts, it was obvious that Sanjaya was enjoying flirting with getting kicked off the show.  Regardless of what happened to change his mind about winning, it was a very fun ride watching him survive as long as he did.

The biggest downside to Sanjaya going so far into the competition was the truly talented contestants who did still want to win that took a hit for him.  While the adorable pony hawk style was extremely cute, I am sure those contestants thrown off for him to stay certainly would not find it so adorable.  As he proceeds on with his life, he has started to slip back into obscurity, and likely will stay there.  With very few options coming his way for a recording contract, it seems unlikely that you can go to a store and pick up a copy of his latest album.

As time goes on and the show continues, it is only a matter of time before a new season of American Idol finds a contestant like Sanjaya.  Full of life and talent, but for some reason decides to throw it all away and move in a much more unconventional direction.  With so many people trying to become the next American Idol, it is only a matter of time before someone else tries his tricks, we can only hope that they will manage to be just as entertaining and keep us excited and longing for more.  If time is any indication the show will have plenty of bad singers, so the rare singer who can actually make it but chooses to get kicked off is rare enough to once again draw the attention of the world.