AMERICAN IDOL RATINGS SLIDE AGAIN, BUT IT’S STILL NO. 1

Ratings for American Idol failed to improve on Wednesday as the talent show attracted 13.23 million viewers, down 12 percent from the previous Wednesday, according to Nielsen Research. The latest figures suggest that the show’s recent changes have not improved its standing. Ratings for Wednesday’s show were virtually identical to the average number of viewers who tuned in to last season’s shows. Nevertheless, Idol remained the highest-rated show on the air Wednesday night. Its closest rival was CBS’s Criminal Minds with 10.39 million viewers (which itself scored its lowest numbers yet).