RATINGS: NBC FIRST, CBS LAST

The weekly Nielsen ratings list was turned on its ear last week as CBS, the usual first-place champ, dropped to last place among viewers 18-49 and third place among total viewers. NBC took over the lead among total households and among viewers 18-49. To be sure, CBS was mostly in summer rerun mode. Its only original program to make the top ten was Survivor. A repeat of The Big Bang Theory managed to make the list at No. 8; the series ordinarily places first or second. And while TV columnists were writing about the decline of competition talent shows, they accounted for six of the top ten shows last week, including No. 1, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, which attracted 15.66 million adults. During a week that produced little in the way of hard news, ratings for the three evening newscasts dipped to their lowest of the year. As usual, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams held the lead, but with just 7.85 million viewers. ABC World News with Diane Sawyer was not far behind with 7.38 million viewers, while the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley placed third with 6 million viewers. For the week, NBC led among total households with an average 1.5 rating and a 5 share. ABC and Fox were close behind with a 1.3/5. CBS trailed with a 1.1/4.