Since 2002, American Idol has swept the hearts and voices of the nation. From Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood to Jordan Sparks and Phillip Phillips, this captivating competition has influenced America’s music tastes and interests for generations. Today, American Idol holds the record for the the longest successful program on any television program. From 2003-2011 Idol held the record for the most popular show.
For some, the end of American Idol is a miserable reality that will affect their lives forever. For others, the news is not devastating at all. The show has lost it’s popularity over the years. In the first decade of the shows running, viewer rating hovered around thirty million. However, for the last three or four season, the network has been struggling to bring in even ten million to watch. This is partly due to the uprising new talent competition shows such as The Voice or America’s Got Talent.
During the show’s sixth season, it because so popular that it obliterated any other competing shows on television, and was nicknamed the “death star” by rival networks. Gary Newman, chairman and CEO of Fox said, “American Idol has been such a vital part of Fox for its run, and we spent a lot of time talking with producers about the future of American Idol and, collectively, we all arrived at the conclusion that it was time to bring the show to an end,” Newman also says that a possible explanation for the lower ratings is because the original audience for the show has grown up, and no longer has the time or interest to dedicate an hour a week to watch.
In addition to decreased viewer ratings, another facet of the shows termination is due to the host, Ryan Seacrest. After the seventh season, Seacrest negotiated a 300% pay raise from a five million to a fifteen million annual salary. Ironically, American Idol used to be Fox’ highest key factor in making money, but now it is potentially a huge financial disaster for the network to keep it running.
Although it is the end of an era, Fox did not plan for American Idol to slowly fade away. Winners and from previous seasons such as Carrie Underwoood, Kelly Clarkson and many more appeared for the end-of-series showdowns, and to also express their support for the program. Even the classic, original panel of judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson made appearances for the last night of Idol.
After fifteen entertaining seasons of the beloved television show, American Idol came to a nostalgic farewell on the series finale on Thursday, April 7th.
