Local Press Lack Support to Philippine Idol

Several entertainment write-ups have recently appeared in various publications expressing their so-called disappointment about Philippine Idol. However, it is obvious that they are writing just for the sake of discrediting the phenomenal program.

An entertainment writer in a not-so-popular periodical wrote in his article that "many" people were dissapointed with Philippine Idol's premiere telecast. However, he only creditted his Lifestyle editor-in-chief saying that the audition looked very much like a "perya." In our opinion, one person is not enough to be considered "many". Analyzing his feature further, the writer claimed that the premiere episode tackled the auditions held in Cebu and Davao, which are definitely untrue as the pilot focused on the Luzon Main Audition held at PICC.

Scroll his column down and you will see positive features about two GMA programs. Now we see here where his allegiance lies.

Another periodical writer sarcastically commented that Philippine Idol's pilot rating of 7.7 points as "pivotal enough to topple the two giant networks." She seems to have forgotten that a 7.7-point rating is equivalent to over 1.2 million viewers in Mega Manila (if using 2002 population data). That alone is an amazing amount of audience for ABC.

Several tabloid writers appeared cynic about Philippine Idol (where looking at their columns would reveal that they are not watching the program at all), obviously showing their passive attitude towards the program just because it is aired on ABC, not in ABS-CBN or GMA.

Some writers criticized Philippine Idol's blatant similarities with American Idol, while others commented on how PI is dissimilar with AI.

Unlike in the US where entertainment news programs can feature programs from a rival network, Philippine entertainment writers place their allegiance on who would feed them more plates of pancit and glasses of orange juice. It appears to us Idol fanatics that the local entertainment press would only take notice of Philippine Idol if it were shown on another channel.

But we know that Philippine Idol is beyond those petty network wars. We know that the Idol franchise is strong and can rise up no matter which channel it will be shown.

We at Philippine Idol Updates commend ABC for having the guts to showcase the best untapped local talent. We believe that in due time, even without the support of the passive and biased press, Philippine Idol will stand true to its name as TV's phenomenon.