AMERICAN IDOL - ALL HAIL IDOL -- EVEN ITS FOES

ALL HAIL IDOL -- EVEN ITS FOES

Executives at rival TV networks have expressed grudging astonishment at the rising ratings of Fox's American Idol this season. In an interview with today's (Tuesday) New York Times, Kelly Kahl, chief scheduler for CBS, remarked that the show "is a big monolith sitting out there. It's the ultimate schoolyard bully." NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker told the newspaper, "I think Idol is the most impactful show in the history of television." According to the Times, the show, which expands to three nights a week this week, has averaged 33.5 million viewers over its first five weeks, versus 31.7 million last year and 28.3 million in 2005.

20/02/2007