Fox’s Rupert Murdoch ‘Key’ to Success of ‘American Idol’

TheWrap: Rupert Murdoch was instrumental in greenlighting Fox’s “American Idol” after network brass were ready to pass on the series, according to former Fox Television Entertainment head Sandy Grushow. In a wide ranging interview about the creation of the iconic franchise that signed off Thursday night after 15 successful seasons, Grushow said it was Murdoch’s influence that got the show — a singing competition that would come to dominate the American TV landscape — on the air.