USA Today
May 5, 2008

More than ratings are down for Fox’s American Idol, which has drawn an average audience of 29 million for regular episodes, down about 7% from last year.  Fewer people are buzzing about it, too — 40% fewer, according to a study by Keller Fay Group.

The researcher, which tracks pop culture conversation on the Web, in blogs and at home, reports 5.9 million people talk about the show daily, down from 9.9 million last year.  But if Paula Abdul keeps judging some Jason Castro hasn’t sun, as she did last Tuesday, look for the Idol chatter meter to light up.