NATION : NBC Back on Top in Nielsen

NBC was back on top of the Nielsen ratings and ABC was at the bottom in an unusual week in which the San Francisco earthquake rocked television schedules, according to figures released today.

ABC seemed certain to repeat its victory of the week before, when it ended NBC’s 68-week winning streak. But the earthquake last Tuesday forced postponement of the World Series just as the third game was getting under way in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

NBC’s “Cheers” was first for the week ended Oct. 22, closely followed by “The Cosby Show.” ABC’s highest-ranked show was its Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills.

The networks’ special coverage of the earthquake was not ranked by Nielsen because it was unscheduled and not sponsored. The network evening news shows, however, had nearly 5 million extra viewers who tuned in because of the quake. ABC was first, followed by CBS and NBC.