TV Ratings : ‘Home’ Is Where the Heart Is for Top-Ranked ABC

The biggest gift under the tree belonged to ABC when last week’s prime-time ratings came out on Tuesday. Led by the week’s top-rated program, “Home Improvement,” ABC finished No. 1 in network household ratings, among adults 18-49 and in total viewers, according to A. C. Nielsen Co. figures.

ABC’s 12.6 rating for the week was a full point ahead of CBS. NBC was third with a 10.7, and Fox averaged a 7.1. (Each ratings point represents 942,000 TV households.)

The charging ABC has won six out of 13 weeks in household ratings this season, only one less than first-place CBS. The network is in its best competitive position in the fourth quarter since 1981.

ABC won Monday with “Monday Night Football,” the No. 5 program for the week. The network also dominated Tuesday with “Roseanne” (No. 2) and “Coach” (No. 3), and Friday with a lineup of comedies.

NBC claimed two nightly victories. A Bob Hope Christmas special helped NBC win Wednesday, and “Seinfeld” (No. 5) and the successful new “Frasier” (No. 8) secured Thursday.

CBS, which now leads ABC for the season by only three-tenths of a ratings point, continues to win the weekend handily with “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” on Saturdays and “60 Minutes” (No. 4) and “Murder, She Wrote” (No. 10) anchoring Sundays.

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 50,064 households.

Program Station Ratiing 1. Home Improvement KABC 20.6 2. The Simpsons KTTV 20.2 3. Seinfeld KNBC 18.1 4. Roseanne KABC 17.7 5. Frasier KNBC 17.1 6. 60 Minutes KCBS 16.2 7. Coach KABC 16.0 8. The Sinbad Show KTTV 15.5 9. Beverly Hills, 90210 KTTV 15.5 10. Married. . .With Children KTTV 14.7

Weekly Averages ABC: 12.6 CBS: 11.6 NBC: 10.7 FOX: 7.1 Season to Date CBS: 13.0 ABC: 12.7 NBC: 11.3 FOX: 7.2