TV Ratings : Fox’s Strategy for ‘Martin,’ ‘Single’ May Be Paying Off

The early start for Fox’s Sunday night comedy duo of “Martin” and “Living Single” seems to be paying off. Both increased their audience from the first week to the second, indicating they are grabbing a foothold before ABC, CBS and NBC launch their first-run competition in the 8-9 p.m. slot.

According to ratings released Tuesday by the A.C. Nielsen Co., “Martin,” starring Martin Lawrence, ranked 31st among last week’s 86 prime-time network programs--but it was the most-watched program in the Los Angeles market, attracting viewers in nearly 869,000 homes. “Living Single,” about four young women who share a home, was No. 3 locally and No. 21 nationally.

There were mixed results for other new shows.

In its second outing, “Now,” the NBC newsmagazine with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric, placed 10th for the week. And CBS’ 10-week-old “Eye to Eye,” with Connie Chung, finished at No. 13 with its highest ratings to date. CBS also got a good showing from “Big Wave Dave’s,” which finished at No. 16, and from the premiere of “Angel Falls,” at No. 27.

At the other end of the charts, CBS’ “The Trouble With Larry” premiered at No. 63. Fox newcomer “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.” ran second in its time period Friday but still ranked 60th overall. NBC’s new “Great Escapes” serial was 63rd.

Southland Ratings Here are A.C. Nielsen’s Top 10 prime-time programs in the Los Angeles area during the same week. Each rating point equals 49,657 households. Position: 1. Program: Martin Station: KTTV Rating: 17.5

Position: 2. Program: Roseanne Station: KABC Rating: 17.1

Position: 3. Program: Living Single Station: KTTV Rating: 16.4

Position: 4. Program: Home Improvement Station: KABC Rating: 16.0

Position: 5. Program: Home Improvement (8 p.m.) Station: KABC Rating: 15.7

Position: 6. Program: Coach Station: KABC Rating: 14.5

Position: 7. Program: Full House Station: KABC Rating: 14.2

Position: 8. Program: 20/20 Station: KABC Rating: 14.1

Position: 9. Program: 60 Minutes Station: KCBS Rating: 13.5

Position: 10. Program: Murder, She Wrote Station: KCBS Rating: 13.2

Weekly Averages

ABC: 9.8 CBS: 9.8 NBC: 8.4 FOX: 6.5