TV Ratings : Big Three’s Audience Share Slips Again

NBC, CBS and ABC totaled only 52% of the national TV audience last week as off-network specials--HBO’s “The Paul Simon Concert From Central Park” and the syndicated program “The Elvis Files”--lured away viewers. ABC, helped by a rerun of the film “Romancing the Stone,” tied for first place with CBS with a 9.5 rating. NBC was last with an 8.4. Each rating point equals 931,000 homes. The full list of ratings is on F11.

With Faith Daniels substituting for Tom Brokaw, the “NBC Nightly News” finished last for the week with a 7 rating. ABC was first with an 8.6 and CBS second with an 8.

* CBS’ “Northern Exposure,” about a young New York doctor who opens a practice in a small Alaskan town, continued to build in popularity, ranking No. 6 among 90 shows and pulling a strong 25% audience share, even with a summer rerun.

Show Points Share 1. “Roseanne” (ABC) 15.7 27 2. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 14.9 33 3. “Romancing the Stone” (ABC) 14.5 26 4. “Designing Women” (CBS) 14.5 24 5. “Murphy Brown” (CBS) 14.1 24 * “Northern Exposure” (CBS) 13.8 25