Abc Edges Nbc In Ratings Battle

Thu., May 25, 1995

Lynn Elber Associated Press

Thrills courtesy of Stephen King’s “The Langoliers” and the Wesley Snipes film “Passenger 57” gave ABC a narrow victory over NBC in the latest network ratings contest.

“Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story,” NBC’s unauthorized miniseries that has Taylor pondering a lawsuit, managed only a 14th-place showing its first night as more viewers picked Snipes’ airplane adventure.

For the week of May 15-21, ABC was the most-watched network with an 11.9 average rating and a 20 share to NBC’s 11.8 average and matching 20 share.

NBC retained its lead in the May sweeps, an intense measurement period used by local TV stations to set ad rates.

CBS’ weekly average was 9.7, with a 16 share. Fox Broadcasting Co., which programs 15 of the 22 primetime hours, posted a 7.1 rating and 12 share.

NBC had the three top-rated programs, all part of its sturdy Thursday lineup: “ER,” “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” with NBC and ABC splitting the top 16 shows. CBS’ highest-rated show was “60 Minutes” at No. 17.

Fox’s best finishers were “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “The X-Files,” both of which tied for 35th place with CBS’ Barbra Streisand special, “Barbra: The Concert.”

Among the evening newscasts, “ABC World News Tonight” was first with an 8.8 average rating and 19 share, followed by the “NBC Nightly News,” 7.4 and 16, and “The CBS Evening News,” 7.1 and 15.

The CBS’ ratings reflect the final days of the ill-fated Connie ChungDan Rather partnership. Rather began anchoring solo again after CBS removed Chung as co-anchor last week.

xxxx Top 20 TV shows Here are the top 20 shows, with rating for the week, season-todate rankings in parentheses, and total homes. An “X” in parentheses denotes one-time-only presentation. A rating measures the percentage of the nation’s 95.4 million TV homes. Each ratings point represents 954,000 households. 1. (2) “ER,” NBC, 23.4, 22.3 million homes. 2. (7) “Friends,” NBC, 21.3, 20.3 million homes. 3. (1) “Seinfeld,” NBC, 20.7, 19.7 million homes. 4. (27) “ABC Monday Night Movie: The Langoliers, Part 2,” ABC, 20.4, 19.5 million homes. 5. (18) “NBC Monday Night Movies: Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge,” NBC, 17.8, 17.0 million homes. 6. (22) “ABC Sunday Night Movie: Passenger 57,” ABC, 16.0, 15.3 million homes. 7. (4) “Grace Under Fire,” ABC, 15.3, 14.6 million homes. 8. (X) “Home Improvement,” ABC, 15.2, 14.5 million homes. 8. (11) “Mad About You” (Thursday), NBC, 15.2, 14.5 million homes. 10. (8) “NYPD Blue,” ABC, 14.9, 14.2 million homes. 11. (3) “Home Improvement,” ABC, 14.2, 13.5 million homes. 12. (14) “Frasier,” NBC, 13.5, 12.9 million homes. 12. (X) “Friends,” NBC, 13.5, 12.9 million homes. 14. “Coach,” ABC, 13.4, 12.8 million homes. 14. (23) “NBC Sunday Night Movie: Liz: Elizabeth Taylor Story Part 1,” NBC, 13.4, 12.8 million homes. 16. (13) “Ellen,” ABC, 13.2, 12.6 million homes. 17. (6) “60 Minutes,” CBS, 13.1, 12.5 million homes. 18. (28) “PrimeTime Live,” ABC, 12.9, 12.3 million homes. 19. “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman,” CBS, 12.7, 12.1 million homes. 20. “Lois & Clark,” ABC, 12.0, 11.4 million homes. 20. (16) “20/20,” ABC, 12.0, 11.4 million homes. Associated Press

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.