Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 24, 1993 TAG: 9304240153
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BARRY GARRON THE KANSAS CITY STAR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That doesn't mean it's time for reruns. Networks save many of their most popular shows for May, a "sweeps" month during which ratings are measured. It just means the "official" race has ended and a champion can be crowned.
For the second consecutive year, that champion is CBS. It was the most-watched network in 22 out of 30 weeks.
Over the course of the season, CBS averaged a prime-time rating of 13.3 (the percentage of all TV households) and a share of 22 (the percentage of households watching TV).
Second place went to ABC, which was in third the previous season. ABC had a 12.4 rating and a 20 share.
NBC placed third, its lowest finish in nearly a decade. It had an 11.0 rating and an 18 share.
Fox, with a rating of 7.7 and a share of 13, was last.
The top-rated show of the season was "60 Minutes" on CBS. This is the second consecutive year and the fourth time overall that the news program finished in first place.
Of the remaining shows in the Top 10, six were comedies: "Roseanne" (No. 2, ABC); "Home Improvement" (No. 3, ABC); "Murphy Brown" (No. 4, CBS); "Coach" (No. 6, ABC); "Cheers" (tied for eighth, NBC); and "Full House" (No. 10, ABC).
The three others were a mystery ("Murder, She Wrote," No. 5, CBS); sports ("NFL Monday Night Football," No. 7, ABC); and the CBS Sunday night movie (tied for eighth).
In 1991-92 the only new big hit was "Home Improvement," which finished in fifth place that year. This season several new shows scored well, although none made it into the Top 10.
The most popular new shows of the season were "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" (ABC), "Love & War" (CBS), "The Jackie Thomas Show" (ABC), "Hearts Afire" (CBS) and "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (CBS), all of which finished among the top 25 shows.
Regardless of how it fared, each network found something encouraging in the results.
CBS not only crowed over winning the season but also pointed to a broader base of popularity. In the previous season, CBS captured only Sunday and Monday nights. This season it also won on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
"I believe we made more progress in the development of our schedule this season than last," said David Poltrack, CBS senior vice president for research and planning.
Overall, however, CBS ratings were about 4 percent lower than last season, when the network received a boost from carrying the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl. If ratings for regular series only were compared, the network registered a minuscule 1 percent increase over the previous season.
Although it finished second, ABC was the only network with an overall improvement in season-to-season ratings. The gain was less than 2 percent, but it was in the right direction.
In addition, ABC ranked first with viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the audience most desired by advertisers. "PrimeTime Live," the series that registered the biggest gain from the previous season, is on ABC.
NBC had a tough search for a silver lining. Ratings slipped nearly 11 percent from last season. Worse yet, "Cheers," the network's only series in the Top 10, will end after the finale May 20.
Unable to boast about the past, the peacock network will talk up the future. It will point to the growing momentum for "Seinfeld," which will inherit the "Cheers" position at 8 p.m. Central time Thursdays in the fall. It also will push the emerging Monday night hits, "Blossom" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Fox ratings fell nearly 4 percent as the network expanded its programming from five to seven nights a week. Ratings have fallen slightly each time programming was expanded, network officials said, adding that they expect ratings to rebound next season.
Meanwhile, the network trailed only ABC in attracting viewers between the ages of 18 and 34. An added plus was the launch of a new hit show, "Martin."
Overall, ratings for this season indicate the continued erosion of the network audience. Collectively, ABC, NBC and CBS had total ratings of 36.7, a new low.
The previous low was 37.5 in the 1990-91 season. An increase to 38.3 last season made industry observers wonder whether the networks finally had stemmed the loss of viewers to cable channels, independents and public television.
Not yet. Last year's increase in network viewing now appears to be a short detour in a continual downward pattern.
by CNB