CBS Wins

But the prize is smaller

For 20 years CBS was first in the ratings and looked as if it would be there forever. Then, in 1976-77, upstart ABC pulled ahead, where it stayed for three seasons. CBS retrieved the top spot by a fraction in 1980, and last week, with the final figures in for this season, it was undisputed champ again, with a Nielsen rating of 19.8, compared with ABC's 18.2 and NBC's 16.6. CBS had eight series in the top ten, leading off with Dallas and 60 Minutes, ABC had two, and poor NBC none at all. Even CBS has a little something to worry about, however. Confronted with competition from cable outlets and non-network shows, all three networks commanded only 86% of the prime-time viewing audience of some 47 million households, vs. 90% in 1979-80.

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