Will The South Rise Again on 'American Idol Season 7'?

earthtimes.org

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Why have contestants from Southern states dominated on "American Idol" for six seasons? Will the trend continue in season 7, launching Jan. 15?

These are burning questions Idol fans across the U.S. have asked since the show started, and that subject has generated stories in all media, including The New York Times.

From its hub in Birmingham, Ala., Luckie & Co. has been creating cutting-edge campaigns for the country for more than half a century. Most recently, Luckie took up the challenge of finding out why their fellow Southerners were performing so well on "American Idol" by conducting a nationwide survey.

"We live at the epicenter of the pop culture phenomenon that is 'American Idol,' since two of the six Idol winners have come from Birmingham, and other Alabamians have done very, very well on the show," said Jay Waters, Luckie's chief strategy officer. "So, it made sense for us to check America's pulse to see how they thought season 7 was going play out. And it fit right in with our ongoing efforts to stay on top of consumer and pop-culture trends"

Of 1,005 people polled, 39.7 percent were fans of "American Idol." Looking at those fans, several results showed statistically significant differences in the responses between those in the Northeast and the South. The dramatic differences are worth noting as they rekindle an age-old rivalry between the two factions.

The first six seasons of "American Idol," an inordinate number of contestants from Southern states were finalists or winners:

-- Season 1- First runner-up, Justin Guarini from Doylestown, Penn., was born and raised in Georgia. Three more of the top 12 finalists were from the South. (Total Southerners in final 10:4)

-- Season 2 - Winner, Ruben Studdard, from Birmingham, Ala., beat Clay Aiken from Raleigh, N.C. Five of the other 12 finalists were from Southern states. (Total Southerners in final 12:7).

-- Season 3 - Fantasia Barrino from High Point, N.C., beat Diana DeGarmo of Snellville, Ga. (born in Birmingham) to take the title. Two of the other top 12 finalists were from Southern states. (Total Southerners in final 12:4)

-- Season 4 - Winner, Carrie Underwood from Checotah, Okla., defeated Bo Bice from Helena, Ala. (a suburb of Birmingham). (Total Southerners in final 12:7)

-- Season 5 - Winner Taylor Hicks hailed from Birmingham, and seven of the top 12 finalists were from the South. (Total Southerners in top 12:8).

-- Season 6 - Six of the top 12 finalists were from Southern states.

Many of these successful Southerners haven't just ranked on the show, they have sold millions of albums afterwards and some, like Carrie Underwood, have gone multi-platinum after their Idol debut.

Asked to explain why Southerners had done so well in past Idol competitions, 47 percent of all Southerners polled said it was because they were more confident of their talent than contestants from other parts of the country. Another 37 percent said it was "in the genes" and 31 percent of Northerners concurred.

Asked how they thought season 7 would play out, most Southerners thought it would be another Southern sweep, with 40 percent saying the next winner "definitely" will be from the South because the region holds "the country's musical talent pool."

In the Northeast, the same number felt the opposite, with 38 percent saying there is "no chance" the next winner will come from the South. They said that while the South has had its share of Idol winners, it is time for the talent in the rest of the country to shine.

About the survey:

The survey was conducted among a national probability sample of 1,005 adults comprised of 502 men and 503 women 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the continental United States. The total respondents who were fans of "American Idol" numbered 397. Interviewing for this Opinion Research CARAVAN(R) Survey was completed during Jan. 4-7, 2008.

The Southern region included participants from these states: South Atlantic: Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida East South Central: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas The Northeast region included participants from these states:

New England: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut

Middle Atlantic: New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Luckie & Co. of Birmingham, Ala., was founded in 1953 and is a full- service advertising, public relations and interactive firm with 119 employees and more than $120 million in annual billings.

Luckie & Co. Corporate PR