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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 18, 1990                   TAG: 9004180396
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

`COSBY' IS UNSEATED AS RATINGS CHAMP

ABC's "Roseanne" edged NBC's "The Cosby Show" as prime-time ratings champ in the just-concluded 1989-1990 season, NBC announced Monday.

ABC's comedy starring Roseanne Barr averaged a 23.3 rating, two-tenths of a ratings point more than the Bill Cosby comedy, which has been first in the Nielsen ratings for the last four seasons.

"The Cosby Show" wound up in second place for the season. Cosby's series has been on the air for six seasons, and Barr's series for two.

Each ratings point represents 921,000 homes.

Final figures for the 30-week season, which ended Sunday, won't be available until later in the week.

But network research analysts say NBC will easily win its fifth consecutive season, with ABC coming in second, and once-dominant CBS in third place for the third straight season.

Still awaiting final figures for the last three days of the season, Preston Beckman, NBC vice-president for research, said NBC thus far had a 14.6 ratings average, ABC a 12.9 and CBS a 12.2.

NBC's ratings are down by nine percent, ABC's are flat, and those of CBS are down by three percent, he said. He cited competition from cable, the fledgling Fox network, and independent stations as factors in the overall ratings drop.

by CNB