Well it's certainly adding to it, that's for sure.
I think shows like that help the industry as much as they can. The bottom line though is that you have to be able to sing songs that fall in line with what radio stations want to play, and that's not always the best music being made.
I think this is very well put. You just aren't always going to hear the best music on the radio, but shows like American Idol can sometimes bring talent to light.