Surge In Calls Tagged To ‘American Idol’

The Associated Press reports telephone calling surged on major carriers Verizon and SBC Communications after Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken competed for the title of ‘American Idol’ on the Fox TV talent show Tuesday. Verizon, which typically processes more than 1.5 billion phone calls on an average weekday, saw an increase of 116 million calls, or 7 percent, Tuesday night. “That’s a significant jump, which can be attributed in large part to the massive amount of calls placed to the ‘American Idol’ hot lines,” the company said in a statement.