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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cbs Grabs Ratings Win

Associated Press

CBS made television viewers an offer they couldn’t refuse last week, and the result was a narrow ratings victory for the network.

CBS boasted only four shows in the Top 20, but they included the initial installment of its “Mario Puzo: The Last Don” miniseries, which finished third, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released Tuesday.

For the “sweeps” week of May 5-11, CBS had a 10.1 rating and 17 percent share, with season-to-date champ NBC a beat behind with a 10.0 rating and 17 rating. ABC was third with an 8.3 rating and 14 share, Nielsen said. Fox had a 7.1 rating and 12 share for its 15-1/2-hour prime-time lineup.

One bright spot for ABC: “Ellen,” in its first post-“outing” episode, ranked a strong 10th place.

Prime-time ratings as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for May 5-11. Listings include the week’s ranking, with rating for the week, season-to-date rankings in parentheses, and total homes.

A rating measures the percentage of the nation’s 97.0 million TV homes. Each ratings point represents 970,000 households.

1. (1) “ER,” NBC, 23.6, 22.9 million homes.

2. (2) “Seinfeld,” NBC, 20.9, 20.3 million homes.

3. (14) “CBS Sunday Movie: Mario Puzo’s The Last Don, Part 1,” CBS, 17.8, 17.3 million homes.

4. (6) “Fired Up,” NBC, 15.6, 15.1 million homes.

4. (4) “Friends,” NBC, 15.6, 15.1 million homes.

6. (3) “Suddenly Susan,” NBC, 14.8, 14.4 million homes.

7. (10) “Touched by an Angel,” CBS, 13.8, 13.4 million homes.

8. (12) “20/20,” ABC, 13.7, 13.3 million homes.

9. (9) “Home Improvement,” ABC, 13.0, 12.6 million homes.

10. “Ellen,” ABC, 12.7, 12.3 million homes.