Idol Producers Defend Vote Outcome

LOS ANGELES: FOX, FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment are defending the outcome of the American Idol finale, after reports raised questions about actions by AT&T that may have influenced the vote.

The New York Times yesterday reported that AT&T, a lead sponsor of the show and the provider of text-message voting for the competition, may have inadvertently swayed the vote in favor of Kris Allen by providing phones for free text messaging and tutorials on "power texts" at parties held by fans of Kris Allen in Arkansas. No such services were provided to fans of runner-up Adam Lambert.

In response, FOX and producers FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment have said they are “absolutely certain” AT&T didn’t unfairly influence the vote. "Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol,” said a statement issued by the three companies. “We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition.”

AT&T has said that the small number of employees responsible were “caught up in the enthusiasm of rooting for their hometown contestant” in Arkansas when they brought “a small number of demo phones and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested," at parties held by Allen’s fans. "Going forward, we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants. That said, it’s quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results."