SHORT TAKES : Fox Cracks Top 20 for 1st Time; CBS Slips by ABC into Second

It was ho-ho-ho and a Merry Christmas for Fox Broadcasting and for CBS last week as Fox had a show in the Nielsen top 20 for the first time ever and CBS pushed past ABC into second place, it was reported today.

NBC won as usual--the network was on top for the ninth consecutive win, 12 out of the last 13 and 80 out of the last 81 weeks.

For Fox, Santa came a little early this year. It’s “Married . . . With Children” one-hour Christmas special with guest star Sam Kinison ranked 13th with an 18.4 rating and a 27 share. That’s the highest rating in Fox history.

“The Simpsons’ Roasting On An Open Fire” Christmas special achieved the second highest rating in Fox history, with a 14.5 rating and a 22 share, ranking 30th on the Nielsen list. “The Simpsons” makes its debut as a regular series on Sunday, Jan. 14.

CBS owes part of its climb to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which came in 22nd in the ratings, won its time period as the leadoff show on Friday night and gave CBS a jump-start so that it won the night. “Rudolph” would not win a compatibility contest as a lead-in for “Dallas,” but J.R. and company came in 35th, the show’s highest rating of the season.

NBC won the ratings race for the week ending Dec. 17, according to the A. C. Nielsen Co., with a 14.6 rating and a 24 share. CBS was second with a 12.6 rating and a 21 share while ABC slipped to third with a 12.3 rating and a 21 share.

TOP 10 SHOWS

Here are ratings for prime-time television last week (Dec. 11-17), as compiled by the A. C. Nielsen Co.

Program Network Rating 1. Rosanne ABC 23.7 2. Cheers NBC 22.5 3. The Cosby Show NBC 22.2 4. The Golden Girls NBC 20.5 5. A Different World NBC 20.4 6. Empty Nest NBC 19.8 7. 60 Minutes CBS 19.8 8. The Wonder Years ABC 19.8 9. Dear John NBC 19.3 10. L.A. Law NBC 19.2