TV RATINGS

After last week’s problems that resulted in the A. C. Nielsen Co. weekly ratings and rankings being misprinted or just plain omitted (a faulty count of ABC affiliates was blamed), this week’s version (covering the week Sept. 7-13) was smoothness itself. The “people-metered” results showed that, contrary to predictions based on trial runs, the allegedly younger, hipper people-metered households chose to watch the same NBC reruns their diary-system forbears watched. The only wrinkle in the Top 10 was the double “Cosby” appearance--once for the special, once for the rerun. Otherwise, everything lies in wait for next week, when the fall premieres hit the air. Weekly network averages: NBC, a 15.2 rating; CBS, 10.1; ABC, 9.6. Evening news ratings: NBC, 9.8; ABC, 8.9; CBS, 8.9. (One Nielsen point equals 886,000 homes; “share” refers to the percentage of households watching a particular program.) The complete Nielsen list appear on Page 9.

* Everyone in the TV industry bemoans the lack of incisive news documentaries, but ratings like these may indicate why the networks don’t go overboard producing them. But maybe CBS should be content with these numbers; NBC’s papal documentary did worse with a 4.7.

TV RATINGS

SHOW POINTS SHARE WEEK 1. Family Ties (rerun) 27.9 43 9/13 (NBC) 10.9 21 9/6 2. The Cosby Show (special) 27.3 46 9/13 (NBC) ---- --- ---- 3. The Cosby Show (rerun) 24.7 43 9/13 (NBC) 24.0 43 9/6 4. Cheers (rerun) 24.1 41 9/13 (NBC) 18.8 34 9/6 5. Night Court (rerun) 24.0 40 9/13 (NBC) 19.9 39 9/6 * The Catholic Church/America 5.6 9 9/13 (CBS News Special) ---- -- ----