ABC-TV News Galaxy Glitters at Convention : Television: Top stars at the network’s annual affiliates’ gathering face an awkward question: Why did Marla Maples ratings beat the Berlin Wall?

At its annual affiliates convention here Wednesday, ABC hauled out its glittery array of news stars--Peter Jennings, David Brinkley, Barbara Walters, Ted Koppel and Sam Donaldson, with Diane Sawyer live by remote from New York.

They talked about freedom around the world, flag burning, poverty and other big issues.

But then they invited questions from the audience of about 1,200 station executives in the Century Plaza ballroom. And Steve Kimtian of WKBW-TV in Buffalo asked a stinger: What did it mean to this panel of “the world’s best journalists” that “PrimeTime Live” got its highest ratings for the program that featured an interview with Marla Maples, Donald Trump’s model friend?

Sawyer, just back from Moscow, where she was interviewing KGB officials for a future program, seemed to blanch.

“Well, it doesn’t surprise me,” she said. “I mean, you all know what Marla Maples is all about. It’s about national soap opera, an irresistible slice of American culture.

“I’ll tell you what is more confounding, concerning something on the other end,” she said, deflecting the question. “Namely, why did viewers turn away in droves from coverage of the Berlin Wall coming down?”

Donaldson, her co-host on ‘PrimeTime Live,’ noted, “We had the highest share on ‘PrimeTime Live’ to date, with a 26 share, with Marla Maples. Our lowest share to date was the night when the wall came down, and we mobilized (a special) and it was pretty good--I’m real proud of it.”

If there was a lesson to be learned here, Donaldson said, he hoped that ABC executives wouldn’t learn it. He said, metaphorically, that when the wall comes down again, he wants ABC to do the same kind of coverage.

Jennings said that ‘World News Tonight’ ratings “held up pretty well” the week of the Berlin Wall events.

Walters put in, “Diane did Marla. I can be holier than thou, folks, but I did Donna Rice. (It was) the same interview.”

The audience broke up in laughter.

Walters said that in 15 years on ABC, she has tried to mix interviews with celebrities and heads of state “for my own sanity.”

Koppel tried to insert a comment, but Walters countered that on Tuesday night he had done a Tom Cruise interview on “Nightline” for a segment on summer movies.

Again, affiliate laughter.

Koppel recovered: “Before we get carried away with too much sackcloth and ashes, by and large the kind of programming you get from the network news provides you with the opportunity to program for ratings the rest of the day.”

As a capper to the session, former President Ronald Reagan came in to chat with Walters about his recent meeting with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The ABC affiliates, meeting through today, seemed in a cheery mood. Network programming is generally edging up in the ratings and the fall prime-time schedule is considered promising.

But worse times were recalled by Thomas Murphy, who recently retired as chief executive officer of Capital Cities/ABC. When the two companies merged 4 1/2 years ago, ABC was running 4-plus ratings points behind NBC in prime time. The merger narrowed the gap to 1.7 points last season.

This was Murphy’s last affiliates meeting. He was given a tribute that included pictures from his childhood through his executive tenure, set to emotional music. The affiliates gave him a standing ovation.