Raleigh's Idol Brings Big Numbers For FOX50

Clay Aiken sang his way to the American Idol finals.

Triangle television viewers catapulted the ratings for the finale of American Idol on Wednesday night, May 21, 2003. As Raleigh's own Clay Aiken sang in the final two with Ruben Studdard of Birmingham, over 8,000 fans gathered at the RBC Center to watch and be satellited live on national television. However, plenty of fans stayed home and drove the numbers for FOX50 through the roof.

In the Raleigh-Durham market, the finale of American Idol delivered an astounding 38.8 household rating and 52 share, making it the #1 non-sports event of the year. In fact, of the ten highest-rated programs this year, four were episodes of American Idol.

Nationally, the finale surpassed the Oscars in ratings this year, which usually draws the most viewers for a non-sports event.

For those viewers who haven't had their fill of Clay Mania yet, the celebration continues with a FOX50 compilation video of his trip back home to Raleigh a few weeks ago. The video is available on VHS and DVD with all proceeds going to the Autism Society of North Carolina and the A.E. Finley YMCA, two of Aiken's favorite charities. For more information about the video and the specifics on ordering, visit the FOX50 website.