Over 30 million viewers tuned into the American Idol finale, which aired last week. WNYC’s Soundcheck looked into the reasons behind the American Idol phenomenon. Beyond the passionate singing and pop tunes, the show has become a barometer of popular culture. We examine why it’s so influential on the music industry, how it embraces the notion of failure, and how it stems from a long tradition of amateur talent contests. Later in the show an Americana idol, bluegrass musician Del McCoury performs live in studio. He talked about what it was like singing lead with Bill Monroe in 1963 and winning a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album last year.

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Part 1: New generation
Youth binge drinking and the damage to their health

Alcohol is a drug that has been around for thousands of years – and enjoyed by hundreds of millions of people – but attitudes to how it is used are changing, particularly amongst the young.

In a major new series at the BBC World Service we investigate alcohol.

Part One: Young drinkers of Kenya and Great Britain

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Part Two: The Industry

The production of alcohol is a multi-billion dollar industry hungry for new markets.

One of the industry’s main targets are countries where most people don’t drink.

In the second part of the series, Nigel Wrench travels to India where drink is becoming part of an elite lifestyle.

As he hears there’s not only big money at stake, but cultural tradition too.

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