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WGA TO TARGET AMERICAN IDOL Friday, July 11 2008 Maintaining that many of the "producers" of reality and game shows are actually unrepresented writers who receive fewer benefits than their counterparts on scripted shows, the Writers Guild of America has launched a campaign to organize them. TV Week reported in its online edition Thursday that the WGA West has begun sending email messages to workers on such shows urging them to participate in the "American Idol Truth Tour" aimed at FremantleMedia, the talent show's (more) IDOL HELPS FOX WIN FINAL WEEK OF SEASON Thursday, May 29 2008 
After
much
hand
wringing
over
the
erosion
of
ratings
for
American
Idol
during
its
latest
season,
the
two
final
episodes
last
week
--
Tuesday's
performance
show
and
Wednesday's
results
show
--
wound
up
capturing
bigger
ratings
than
the
comparable
finale
a
year
ago.
Tuesday's
telecast
drew
27
million
viewers;
Wednesday's,
32
million.
Together
they
gave
Fox
an
easy
win
for
the
final
official
week
of
the
2007-08
season
with
an
average
7.3
rating
and
a
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Fox continued to hint that it is planning to make changes to American Idol when it returns in January in order to recapture some of the audience it lost in early episodes last season. But Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly told reporters at the summer TV Critics Assn. press tour that judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul will all be back. Conspicuous by his absence in the list of announced returnees was Idol host Ryan Seacrest, who clashed frequently with Cowell last season. In May, Cowell, who is also a producer of Idol, told reporters to expect "a big shake-up" in the show next season, arousing immediate speculation that the $12.5-million host of the talent contest may be getting the hook himself. Also on Monday, Reilly expressed concern about the current state of TV comedy. "I can't even go to the platitude of 'it's cyclical, it's going to come back,'" he said. "A lot of confidence has left the creative space on a day-to-day basis. I see really talented people coming in, very skittish, not knowing what to pitch and what will sell. I see executives trying to figure out where is that nerve to hit." 
