Questions are being raised about whether AT&T helped Kris Allen win on the finale of American Idol.
Local AT&T representatives in Kris’ home state of Arkansas allegedly helped his fans each cast 10 or more text-message votes at one time through “power texts,” according to a report in The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The votes in question were made over demonstration phones brought by AT&T reps to two local Kris Allen viewing parties in Arkansas on the night of the final performances, the newspaper reported.
On Wednesday, the Idol producers 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia along with Fox denied the the results were rigged via a public statement saying they were “absolutely certain that the results of this competition are fair, accurate and verified. Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol. We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition.”
AT&T also released a statement saying, “Last week, countless parties were held in homes, bars, and other public places across America to watch the American Idol finale. In Arkansas, a few local AT&T employees were invited to attend two local watch parties organized by the community. Caught up in the enthusiasm of rooting for their hometown contestant, they brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested.
“Going forward,” the AT&T statement added, “we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants. That said, it’s quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results.”
