ASSOCIATED PRESS ASSOCIATED PRESS 1. "ER" NBC.

October 7, 1999

and running:

NBC, CBS in

lead at first turn

NBC and CBS are the dominant networks early in the TV season, finishing in a dead heat last week in the Nielsen Media Research ratings.

NBC was buoyed by the return of "ER" to its customary spot as TV's most-watched show for its season premiere, while CBS' strong Sunday and Monday lineups provided a counterbalance.

Both networks had a 9.1 rating and 15 share for the week. CBS had a narrow edge in total viewers, and NBC easily won among the 18-to 49-year-old demographic closely watched by advertisers.

Except for "Monday Night Football," the Emmy-winning "The Practice" was the only ABC show to land in the Top 20. Fox had an even more troublesome week: "The Simpsons" was its most-watched show, but it finished at No. 51.

In another strong week for dramas, Tuesday nights are shaping up as a real battleground. The "Once and Again" drama about two divorced parents was second only to "The Practice" as ABC's most popular series, yet it still lost its time slot to CBS' "Judging Amy."

Other new dramas showing real Nielsens strength include CBS' "Family Law" and NBC's "West Wing," "Third Watch" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

NBC's "Mike O'Malley Show" is already the season's first casualty, with production stopped after two episodes were aired. Other programs with ominous ratings include ABC's "The Hughleys," which has suffered with its move to Friday nights, and NBC's critically acclaimed high school show, "Freaks & Geeks," which finished a dismal fourth in its time slot Saturday.

For the week, ABC had a 7.3 rating and 12 share and Fox had a 5.1 rating and 8 share. Fox has lost an average of 1.6 million viewers per week from last season, although some of its more popular shows haven't premiered yet.

The WB had a 3.4 rating and 5 share and UPN was at 2.4 and 4. Both mini-networks have gained, on average, half a ratings point from last year. Pax TV had a 0.7 rating and 1 share.

The "NBC Nightly News" won the evening news ratings race with a 7.2 rating and 16 share. ABC's "World News Tonight" was second with a 7.0 rating and 16 share, while the "CBS Evening News" had a 6.3 rating and 14 share.

A rating point represents 1,008,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 100.8 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

Here are the prime-time ratings as compiled by Nielsen Media Research:

2. "Frasier," NBC.

3. "Friends," NBC.

4. "Stark Raving Mad," NBC.

5. "NFL Monday Night Football: San Francisco at Arizona," ABC.

6. "Jesse," NBC.

6. "Law & Order," NBC.

8. "60 Minutes," CBS.

9. "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS.

10. "JAG," CBS.

11. "NFL Monday Showcase," ABC.

12. "Becker," CBS.

12. "Judging Amy," CBS.

14. "Family Law," CBS.

15. "The Practice," ABC.

16. "Dateline NBC."

16. "Touched by an Angel," CBS.

18. "60 Minutes II," CBS.

19. "Providence," NBC.

20. "West Wing," NBC.

21. "Once and Again," ABC.

21. "Third Watch," NBC.

23. "Drew Carey Show," ABC.

24. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC.

25. "Dharma & Greg," ABC.

26. "Will & Grace," NBC.

27. "CBS Wednesday Movie: Breakdown."

28. "20/20" (Wednesday), ABC.

28. "Dharma & Greg," ABC.

28. "Diagnosis Murder," CBS.

28. "King of Queens," CBS.

28. "Nash Bridges," CBS.

33. "Ladies Man," CBS.

34. "20/20" (Friday), ABC.

35. "CBS Sunday Movie: Forget Me Never."

35. "Chicago Hope," CBS.

37. "Spin City," ABC.

37. "Walker, Texas Ranger," CBS.

39. "NBC Sunday Night Movie: Road Rage."

40. "3rd Rock From the Sun," NBC.

41. "Just Shoot Me," NBC.

42. "Dateline NBC."

42. "Dateline NBC."

44. "Norm," ABC.

44. "Oh Grow Up," ABC.

46. "Dateline NBC."

46. "Now and Again," CBS.

48. "20/20" (Monday), ABC.

49. "Snoops," ABC.

49. "Two Guys and a Girl," ABC.

51. "Simpsons," Fox.

52. "Cosby," CBS.

53. "That '70s Show," Fox.

54. "Futurama," Fox.

55. "Martial Law," CBS.

55. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," ABC.

57. "Work With Me," CBS.

58. "TV Guide Sitcom Scandals," Fox 6.4

59. "48 Hours," CBS.

59. "It's Like, You Know," ABC.

61. "Ally," Fox.

61. "Early Edition," CBS.

61. "Veronica's Closet," NBC.

64. "Kids Say the Darndest Things," CBS.

65. "Beverly Hills, 90210," Fox.

65. "Candid Camera," CBS.

67. "Mike O'Malley Show," NBC.

68. "7th Heaven," WB.

69. "AMW: America Fights Back," Fox.

69. "Odd Man Out," ABC.

69. "Pretender," ABC.

72. "Cold Feet," NBC.

72. "Profiler," NBC.

74. "ABC Big Picture Show: Beverly Hills Cop 3."

74. "Garth Brooks: Chris Gaines," NBC.

76. "Boy Meets World," ABC.

76. "Cops 2, Life on the Beat," Fox.

76. "Suddenly Susan," NBC.

79. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," ABC.

80. "Ally," Fox.

80. "X-Files," Fox.

82. "COPS Indianapolis," Fox.

82. "The Hughleys," ABC.

84. "That '70s Show," Fox.

85. "King of the Hill," Fox.

85. "That '70s Show," Fox.

85. "World's Wildest Police Videos," Fox.

88. "Dawson's Creek," WB.

88. "World's Shocking Moments 2," Fox.

90. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," ABC.

91. "WWF Smackdown!," UPN.

92. "ABC Saturday Night Movie: 12 Monkeys."

93. "Get Real," Fox.

93. "Star Trek: Voyager," UPN.

93. "Wonderful World of Disney: H-E-Double Hockey Sticks," ABC.

96. "Popular," WB.

97. "Charmed," WB.

98. "Felicity," WB.

99. "Action," Fox.

99. "Family Guy," Fox.

99. "Safe Harbor," WB.

102. "Terror on the Job," WB.

103. "Shasta McNasty," UPN.

104. "The Steve Harvey Show," WB.

105. "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," WB.

105. "For Your Love," WB.

105. "World's Funniest!," Fox.

108. "7th Heaven Beginnings," WB.

109. "7 Days," UPN.

110. "Jack & Jill," WB.

110. "Popular," WB.

111. "Grown Ups," UPN.

113. "The Jamie Foxx Show," WB.

114. "The Parkers," UPN.

115. "Malcolm and Eddie," UPN.

116. "Moesha," UPN.

117. "Jamie Foxx," WB.

118. "UPN Special Presentation: Piranha."

119. "Dilbert," UPN.

120. "Redhanded," UPN.

121. "Diagnosis Murder" (Friday), Pax.

121. "Touched by an Angel" (Thursday), Pax.

123. "Diagnosis Murder" (Tuesday), Pax.

123. "Star Trek: Voyager" (Tuesday), UPN.

123. "Touched by an Angel" (Friday), Pax.

123. "Touched by an Angel" (Tuesday), Pax.

123. "Touched by an Angel" (Wednesday), Pax.

128. "Diagnosis Murder" (Monday), Pax.

128. "Diagnosis Murder" (Thursday), Pax.

128. "Diagnosis Murder" (Wednesday), Pax.

131. "Chicken Soup for the Soul," Pax.

131. "Hope Island," Pax.

131. "Little Men," Pax.

131. "Touched by an Angel" (Monday), Pax.

131. "Twice in a Lifetime," Pax.

136. "It's a Miracle," Pax.

137. "Destination Stardom," Pax.

137. "It's a Miracle" (Encore), Pax.

137. "Twice in a Lifetime" (Encore), Pax.

140. "Destination Stardom" (Encore), Pax.

140. "PaxTV Three-Hanky Movie: The Satchel Paige Story."

142. "Chicken Soup for the Soul" (encore), Pax.

142. "Little Men," Pax.

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