TV Ratings : Reality Shows Help CBS Finish First

News and reality series took up six of the top 14 spots in last week’s ratings, with “60 Minutes,” “Rescue 911” and “48 Hours” helping CBS finish No. 1. ABC, aided by three news and reality series--”PrimeTime Live,” “20/20” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”--ranked second. NBC was last.

“PrimeTime Live,” with Diane Sawyer’s investigation of day-care centers, ranked fourth among 93 shows with its highest rating of the season--drawing an estimated 19.1 million viewers.

For the week, resurgent CBS had a 9.5 rating, ABC 9.2 and NBC 8.4. (Each rating point equals 931,000 homes.) The full ratings list is on F9. * CBS’ latest reality show, the courtroom series “Verdict,” ranked only 66th in its debut Friday, but it drew 15% of the audience--a figure considered acceptable by some TV executives because of the lower production cost of nonfiction programming.

Show Points Share 1. “Cheers” (NBC) 14.5 27 2. “Evening Shade” (CBS) 13.8 24 3. “Murphy Brown” (CBS) 13.5 25 4. “Primetime Live” (ABC) 13.4 23 5. “Wings” (NBC) 13.3 24 5. “Roseanne” (ABC) 13.3 24 * “Verdict” (CBS) 6.6 15