CBS Baseball Strikes Out in Prime Time

The CBS billion-dollar-plus major league baseball package struck out in its first at-bats, pushing the network back into third place, it was reported today.

These are just the playoffs, of course, and the World Series may produce big numbers. Last year it did not do so for ABC because it was delayed by earthquake. So far, the prime-time playoff games are down 13% in the ratings from the first three prime-time games on NBC in 1989.

The highest-rated of last week’s prime-time games was Oakland vs. Boston on Sunday, which ranked 28th, behind both the ABC Sunday movie, “When You Remember Me,” tied for 22nd, and the NBC Sunday movie, “Jackie Collins’ Lucky/Chances,” in 24th.

“60 Minutes” was also a sports casualty, squeezed between a football overrun and baseball. That shortened it to 45 minutes in 17% of the country. As a result, the show dropped from the No. 2 show the previous week to 31st last week.

Without a high score for “60 Minutes” and with baseball underachieving against the Sunday movies, CBS lost the night to ABC.

In the other prime-time baseball action, Saturday’s Oakland-Boston game came in tied for 40th and Thursday’s Pittsburgh-Cincinnati playoff was 42nd.

Among the new shows, the only one in the top 10 was ABC’s “America’s Funniest People” in seventh place, a knockoff of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” which came in fourth.

“The Trials of Rosie O’Neill” (CBS) was the top all-new show, in a five-way tie for 32nd. “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” (NBC) came in 37th, “Married People” (ABC) tied for 40th, and “Working It Out” (NBC) tied for 44th.

NBC’s “Lifestories,” also delayed by a football overrun, came on opposite baseball at 43 minutes later than scheduled. In a dramatic episode that told the story of a heart attack in real time, “Lifestories” intrigued viewers enough that it scored an 80% increase in audience over the previous week, moving from 80th in the ratings to a tie for 48th.

“Uncle Buck” (CBS) tied for 50th; “Ferris Bueller” (NBC) was in 52nd; “Law and Order” (NBC), 53rd, and “American Dreamer” (NBC), 55th, way down from its lead-in, “Carol & Co.,” in 29th.

In the ratings for the week ending Sunday, according to the A. C. Nielsen Co., NBC won with a 12.9 rating and a 22 share. ABC was second with a 12.5 rating and a 21 share, edging out CBS’ 12.3 rating and 21 share.

NBC won Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; ABC took Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, and CBS Monday.

ABC’s “World News Tonight” was No. 1 for the 39th consecutive week, with a 10.2 rating and a 21 share. “NBC Nightly News” with Tom Brokaw moved back into second with an 8.5 rating and an 18 share, while “CBS Evening News” with Dan Rather sank to third with an 8.2 rating and a 17 share.

Each ratings point represents about 921,000 households. A share is the percentage of TV sets in use that are tuned to a particular show or network.

THE TOP 10

The top 10 programs for the week ending Sunday, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co.:

1. Cheers (NBC)

2. The Cosby Show (NBC)

3. A Different World (NBC)

4. America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

5. Designing Women (CBS)

6. Roseanne (ABC)

7. America’s Funniest People (ABC)

8. Murphy Brown (CBS)

9. Unsolved Mysteries (NBC)

10. Golden Girls (NBC)