‘Idol’ audience down from last year

Fantasia Barrino may wear the “American Idol” crown, but last year’s winner, Ruben Studdard, still has some bragging rights.

An estimated 31.4 million people tuned in to the talent show’s season finale Wednesday night, down from the 33.7 million who watched the 2003 faceoff between Studdard and Clay Aiken, according to Nielsen Media Research.

But Fox television executives say this doesn’t necessarily mean their most popular series is losing popularity.

The finale aired a week later this year, and the number of people watching TV in the evening naturally decreases in the summer, a Fox spokesman said. Viewership for the full “Idol” season is up 16 percent, he said.

More than 65 million viewer votes were cast following Tuesday night’s final performances, easily the most in “Idol’s” three seasons.

Last year, Studdard claimed the title by a slim 134,000-vote margin out of 24 million votes cast. Barrino topped Diana DeGarmo by 1.3 million votes.

Additional phone lines and expanded voting hours helped swell this year’s tally, in response to complaints that overwhelmed phone systems were frustrating callers.

Some critics claimed that the contest’s credibility was at risk when lesser performers triumphed over better ones, particularly Jasmine Trias and La Toya London, earlier this season. There was talk of vote tampering, even racism.

Barrino’s win is likely to put some of those doubts to rest.

“The best news is she’s a true artist, a true singer,” music consultant Tom Vickers told USA Today. “And the fact that she’s an African American kills the argument of those who questioned the show’s credibility and labeled the voters racist.”