
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 5, 1990                   TAG: 9004040870
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E4   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Richard De Atley Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES                                LENGTH: Medium

ABC KNOCKS OFF NBC IN NIELSEN RATINGS

The Oscars and a Barbara Walters special helped ABC knock NBC out of the No. 1 spot in the ratings after 23 weeks on top.

Carol Burnett made a triumphant return to prime time on NBC; the Whoopi Goldberg-Jean Stapleton series "Bagdad Cafe" had a strong debut, and ABC's new "Equal Justice," a lawyer drama, finished in the middle of the pack.

For the week, ABC was first during the week ended April 1 with an average rating of 14.8, NBC was second with 13.3 and CBS third with 11.7, according to A.C. Nielsen Co. figures released Tuesday. Each point represents 921,000 homes.

The last time NBC dropped to No. 2 was the week of Oct. 9-15, when ABC had the World Series.

"The Academy Awards clearly lifted us up there," said ABC spokesman Jim Brochu.

The Academy Awards, a 3 1/2-hour endurance event Monday, was No. 1 in the ratings. The "Barbara Walters Special," featuring interviews of Chevy Chase, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Warren Beatty, was sixth.

"Carol & Co." a half-hour comedy-variety show on Saturday featuring Burnett and an ensemble company, was in ninth place on NBC.

"Bagdad Cafe," based on the movie about a German tourist stranded at a remote desert diner, was No. 18 for CBS. The half-hour show is on Friday.

"Equal Justice," ABC's Wednesday night case for an hour-long legal drama, was tied for 44th. A two-hour "Equal Justice" movie on Tuesday was tied for 37th.

Here are the top 10 shows, their network and rating: "The 62nd Annual Academy Awards," ABC, 27.9; "Cheers," NBC, 23.8; "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 21.7; "The Cosby Show," NBC, 21.4; "The Golden Girls," NBC, 20.4; "The Barbara Walters Special," ABC, 20.3; "A Different World," NBC, 20.0; "Unsolved Mysteries," NBC, 19.5; "Carol & Co.," NBC, 19.0; and "The Wonder Years," ABC, 18.4.

ABC was first in average ratings for the network news shows with a 10.3, but after seven weeks in third place, CBS edged into second place. It beat NBC by one-tenth of a ratings point, averaging a 9.4 rating to NBC's 9.3.

by CNB