‘Videos’ Top Show; NBC Top Network

ABC’s “Funniest Home Videos” was the top show of last week, but CBS won the Sunday night on which it aired and NBC took the week as usual, it was reported today.

“It’s rather strange,” said Sari DeCesare, NBC manager of audience research. “What’s happened is that ABC has an isolated show.”

“Home Videos” was up there alone in the numbers. The show that preceded it, “Life Goes On,” tied for 65th place with an 8.8 rating and a 15 share. “Home Videos” was No. 1 with a whopping 24.1 rating and a 37 share--up an incredible 22 share points. Then along came “Elvis,” tied for 47th with an 11.1 rating and a 17 share.

Where did all the viewers go? To “The Simpsons” on Fox, which airs in the subsequent half-hour and won its time period for the first time ever. It was in 20th place with a 15.1 rating and a 23 share.

All this has put “Murder, She Wrote” in 29th place, knocking it out of its accustomed spot as time period winner--but that has not knocked CBS out of first place on Sunday.

One reason is “60 Minutes,” which is in its second week with Andy Rooney back. It came in sixth with a 19.6 rating and a 34 share, about the show’s average before the Rooney fracas. That’s not as good as the previous week, when Rooney’s return boosted the show to fourth place with a 22 rating and a 37 share.

NBC won the Sunday movie contest with “Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception,” which came in 13th. On CBS “The People’s Choice Awards” tied for 22nd, earning a 14.9 rating and a 24 share, way down from last year when it had a 19.6 rating and a 31 share. ABC’s repeat of “The Women of Brewster Place,” Part 1, tied for 62nd place.

NBC won the ratings race for the week for the 21st consecutive time, and 89th out of the last 90 weeks. The network took the week ending March 11 with a 13.5 rating and a 22 share, according to the A. C. Nielsen Co. ABC was back in second place with an 12.2 rating and a 20 share, while CBS was third with an 11.0 rating and an 18 share.

The 25-week-old season-to-date ratings show NBC with a 14.8 rating and a 24 share, ABC with a 13.0 rating and a 21 share, and CBS with a 12.3 rating and a 20 share.

TOP 10 SHOWS

Here are the ratings for national prime-time television last week (March 5-11), as compiled by the A. C. Nielsen Co.

Program (Network) Rating

1. Funniest Home Videos (ABC) 24.1

2. Cheers (NBC) 23.4

3. Roseanne (ABC) 22.1

4. The Cosby Show (NBC) 21.3

5. A Different World (NBC) 20.7

6. 60 Minutes (CBS) 19.6

7. The Wonder Years (ABC) 18.7

8. The Golden Girls (NBC) 18.1

9. In the Heat of the Night (NBC) 17.9

10. Who’s the Boss? (ABC) 17.5