CBS 1st in weekly ratings – again

The audience for “The Apprentice 2” finale was down sharply over last season, but NBC isn’t ready to fire Donald Trump: He still gave the network its top-rated show for the week.

Nearly 17 million viewers tuned in last Thursday when Trump picked software executive Kelly Perdew as his latest protege, according to Nielsen Media Research.

NBC’s decision to stretch the latest finale over three hours helped dilute the rating. But even in the second hour, “The Apprentice” was beaten by a rerun of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” on CBS.

“The Apprentice” may not be the phenomenon it was initially, when “You’re fired!” took hold as a national catchphrase. But it remains a success for NBC and was the network’s only top 10 show for the week ending Sunday.

ABC had the No. 1 show as the “Desperate Housewives” juggernaut continued. But CBS, which fielded eight of the top 10 programs, was the most-watched network and posted its sixth consecutive victory among advertiser-favored viewers aged 18 to 49.

CBS drew an average 12.6 million viewers in prime time (8.3 rating, 14 share), followed by NBC with 9.8 million (6.5, 11); ABC, 9.6 million (6.2, 10); Fox, 5.9 million (3.7, 6); UPN, 3.54 million (2.4, 4); and the WB, 3 million (2.0, 3).

A ratings point represents 1,084,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 108.4 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

The top 10 shows for the week: “Desperate Housewives,” ABC, 22.3 million viewers; “CSI: Miami,” CBS, 20.5 million; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 19.5 million; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 18.6 million; “The Apprentice 2,” NBC, 16.9 million; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 16.22 million; “Without a Trace,” CBS, 16.2 million; “Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 15.9 million; “CSI: NY,” CBS, 15.6 million; “Cold Case,” CBS, 14.8 million.