American Idol, Color Bars Steer Fox to Easy Ratings Victory

A technical glitch immediately following Wednesday's American Idol, resulting in nearly 45 minutes of continuous color bars, propelled Fox to its highest post-Idol ratings in three seasons, reports the A.C. Nielsen Co.

The color bars, which retained 92% of the juggernaut’s lead-in, were accompanied by a high-pitched, shrill noise from approximately 9:03-9:46 PM. The final 14 minutes of frosh drama Lie to Me rounded out the hour. The color bar/Lie to Me hour bested its closest competitor, CBS’s Criminal Minds, by nearly 10 million viewers.

Homemaker Kathy Reynolds had the television on in another room and didn’t notice the snafu.

“I heard an annoying screeching,” said Reynolds, “but I figured it was just back-to-back episodes of ‘Til Death.”