Without ‘ER,’ NBC Can’t Keep Pace With CBS

NBC got a glimpse of what life would be like without “ER” and the results weren’t pretty, as CBS topped the prime-time standings for the second consecutive week in results issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

CBS benefited from another record-high “Touched by an Angel” rating and solid numbers for the movie “To Dance With Olivia,” starring Louis Gossett Jr. Shuffling the network’s Monday comedy lineup also generated positive results: “Cybill” moved to 9 p.m. with “Murphy Brown” going on hiatus, and the Cybill Shepherd comedy delivered CBS’ highest rating in that half-hour since September. “Cosby,” with 18 million viewers, drew its biggest audience since early November.

The half-dozen new series premiering last week mostly got off to so-so starts, meaning the real test will be how well they hold up in subsequent airings. With “ER” taking a five-week rest, NBC’s Thursday night ratings dropped, while the new drama “Crisis Center,” starring Kellie Martin, attracted 2.2 million fewer viewers for its second telecast than the show’s premiere.

ABC continues to struggle, essentially tying Fox last week in total viewers. The network’s rating was off 20% compared to the same week a year ago.

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Network Averages

Here is the number of viewers that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

CBS 13.71 million

NBC 13.41

ABC 11.58

FOX 11.57

UPN 4.32

WB 3.79

Season to Date

NBC 15.57 million

CBS 13.97

ABC 13.83

FOX 12.17

UPN 4.52

WB 3.67

Southland Viewing

Here are Nielsen’s Top 10 prime-time programs in the Los Angeles area during the same week. The rankings are based on the number of households watching.

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Program Station Households 1. Seinfeld KNBC 1,057,682 2. 60 Minutes KCBS 894,582 3. 3rd Rock From the Sun KNBC 889,639 4. Friends KNBC 855,042 5. The X-Files KTTV 790,790 6. Suddenly Susan KNBC 771,021 7. 20/20 KABC 756,193 8. Touched by an Angel KCBS 731,481 9. Home Improvement KABC 706,769 -- The Practice KABC 706,769

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Source: Nielsen Media Research