Should Fox fix American Idol?

Just a couple of weeks after my previous post on American Idol's problems I am gratified to see Fox agrees with some of my suggestions on how to fix the program. Rumors are flying that none four judges or the executive producer will be back next year. Randy Jackson, the only judge left from the first season, has already left -- he announced he will concentrate on his music company and "other opportunities." Ratings for the final last Thursday hit an all time low for the final,down 34% from last year. The show did win the night, despite coming in second for the half our of a new episode of The Big Bang Theory. During my network career, I've been in a lot of meetings where we discussed what to do with hit shows that dropped in the ratings. American Idol is down tremendously in the ratings, but it's still winning it's night and is one of the top rated shows in broadcast. I'm not surprised that Fox is trying something radical to save the show. But should they? Yes, they should. You can call this Peter's Programming Rule #1 -- don't drop a show from your schedule unless you're sure you'll replace it with a higher rated show. It's not likely Fox can find a show that will do better than Idol. They have to save it. The first decision they have to make is whether they think the right changes to judges and formats will improve ratings, or if they have to cut costs (get cheaper judges) and do their best to hold on to the current audience. Kevin Reilly, the head of Fox Entertainment, made some comments that shows he's thinking along the right lines: everything's on the table, and the focus of next season needs to be on the contestants. Fox has learned that paying big name judges $18 million per year for a part-time job -- what they reportedly pay Mariah Carey, doesn't result in higher ratings. I stand by my earlier suggestions. I think the show's moment has passed, but there's enough life to justify an announced "Last Season." Make the judges all former American Idol contestants, and bring back everyone who was ever a judge or a popular contestant for some role during the year -- I'm talking about you Justin, Clay Aiken, and bikini girl. Maybe pit some of the old favorites who didn't win and don't have recording contracts against some new talent. If this works, and the ratings increase, Fox can always say that audience demand requires another season anyway. Think about how you would bring the audience back to American Idol. Can you use any of those techniques in the shows, videos, and stories you create?