TV Ratings : NBC’s ‘Frasier’ Stands Alone at the Top

There were cheers for “Frasier” this week at NBC as the hit Thursday night comedy recorded its first win in the national A.C. Nielsen Co. ratings, which were released Tuesday.

The show, which stars Kelsey Grammer, had tied for first place the week of May 16 with its lead-in, “Seinfeld,” but had never before reached the No. 1 spot on its own. The win gave NBC extra reason to feel confident as “Frasier” gets ready for its upcoming move to Tuesday nights at 9 this fall to do battle with either of ABC’s powerhouses “Roseanne” or “Home Improvement.”

Those daytime crime-fighters “The Mighty Morphin Rangers” also scored points in their first prime-time outing last Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on Fox. The special won out over its competition locally and also drew respectable national ratings.

Drawing less than respectable numbers was the CBS Reports special “Hitler and Stalin: A Legacy of Hate” Thursday, hosted by Charles Kuralt and H. Norman Schwarzkopf. The documentary landed in 57th place, tied with “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” “Lois & Clark” and “Picket Fences.”

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 Rating 1. Home Improvement KABC 17.1 2. Seinfeld KNBC 16.6 3. The Simpsons KTTV 16.3 4. Grace Under Fire KABC 16.1 5. Coach KABC 15.7 6. Frasier KNBC 15.3 7. Roseanne KABC 15.2 8. 60 Minutes KCBS 14.4 9. “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” KTTV 14.3 10. “Lethal Weapon” KABC 12.6

Weekly Averages ABC: 9.4 NBC: 8.8 CBS: 8.4 FOX: 5.9