Live Earth dead on arrival

Al Gore may have to come up with a new campaign to help solve the climate crisis since his much-hyped Live Earth music event appears to have fallen flat.

The program received less-than-stellar TV ratings in the United States. Only 2.7 million viewers tuned in, making the NBC broadcast the least-watched program on 7-7-07. The numbers were similar in Britain, where BBC coverage netted about 3.1 million folks.

Live Earth’s saving grace appears to have been the Internet, where the event has been streamed more than 30 million times. Gore, co-chairman of the project, had envisioned the extravaganza as a way to educate billions of people. The series of concerts on seven continents featured artists such as Madonna and John Mayer.