ABC RATINGS FOR MS. LIBERTY SOAR

ABC’s extensive coverage of the Liberty Weekend festivities celebrating the rededication of the Statue of Liberty produced some fireworks of its own in the ratings, according to figures released Monday by the A.C. Nielsen Co.

Overnight ratings from 12 major cities showed that ABC was by far the preferred viewing choice on three of the four nights it presented special programming pegged to the Fourth of July events in New York.

Only on Saturday, when it was televising a classical music concert from Central Park from 8 to 10 p.m., did ABC fail to carry the evening. NBC’s strong comedy lineup attracted 29% of the viewers, compared to 17% for ABC and 16% for CBS, which was rerunning a 1982 TV movie, “The Scarlet Pimpernel.”

Otherwise, ABC’s expenditure of $10 million for the Liberty Weekend rights paid off in ratings, at least as far as the 12 cities indicated. National ratings were to be available today.

Its coverage of the opening-night activities on Thursday, when President Reagan relit the refurbished Statue and Chief Justice Warren Burger swore in 20,000 new citizens, drew 40% of the viewing audience. NBC got 22% and CBS got 10%.

ABC also accounted for 40% of the viewers Friday morning with its live coverage of the International Naval Review and the parade of tall ships through New York Harbor. CBS got 14% and NBC got 12%.

The numbers climbed even higher Friday night, with ABC attracting 45% of the prime-time audience with a Liberty Weekend music special and the telecast of the huge fireworks display. NBC got 16% and CBS 10%.

The wrap-up events on Sunday attracted 30% of the viewing audience to ABC between 7 and 11 p.m., while 22% watched CBS and 15% tuned to NBC.

National ratings also were not yet available Monday for the weekend’s other major TV event, the Olympic-styled “Goodwill Games” from Moscow. But local ratings indicated that it drew well in the sports-oriented daytime hours of the weekend while faring poorly in prime time.

KTLA Channel 5, which is carrying the “Goodwill Games” through July 20, said that it drew 21% of the Los Angeles audience with its opening coverage Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., leading the market.

By contrast, NBC’s coverage of the women’s singles final of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, which aired from 8 a.m. to about noon Saturday, was watched by about 15% of the audience locally.

But Saturday night, KTLA finished far behind all three network-owned stations, drawing just 8% of the audience.

There was a dropoff in both areas Sunday. KTLA’s first round of coverage, from 9 a.m. to noon, drew 19% of Los Angeles viewers; the second, from 3 to 6 p.m., attracted 15%, and the third, from 7 to 10 p.m., garnered a paltry 4%.