ABC’S NIGHTLINE REMAINS NO. 1 IN LATE-NIGHT

Among the late-night shows, ABC’s Nightline remained the top-rated show for the third week in a row among both total viewers and those 25-54, the key demographic group for advertisers during the late-night periods. Nightline counted 3.80 million total viewers of which 1.49 million were in the 25-54 age group. NBC’s The Tonight Show was only slightly behind with 3.77 million total viewers and 1.43 million in the demo. CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman placed third with 2.74 million viewers and 1.21 million in the demo. It should be pointed out, however, that the numbers for Nightline reflected only the period between 11:35 p.m. and midnight, while those for the CBS and NBC shows reflect the period from 11:35 to 12:30. Audiences for the latter two networks drop off appreciably after midnight.