American Idle

Yes, it is that time of year, and with the writer's strike still going we're going to be inundated with American Idol.

Yet for the life of me I've never understood why other networks and their local affiliates spend so much time promoting a show on another channel.

While Idol may qualify as a water cooler show, that doesn't mean it should be discussed at your water cooler if you don't work for a Fox station. You've gotta know the producers of Idol have to be laughing it up when the competition spends so much time promoting their show.

And here's a number to consider. Last year Idol had an average of 30 million viewers. Which means 270 million people in the country didn't watch. That's 90 percent of your audience. Do you really want to spend time promoting a show that most people don't watch?

There are plenty of other fun subjects for a relaxed morning show. You might even find a show on your own network to talk about.