Here are the first ten programs from the sixth week of the 1972-1973 television season, which ran from Monday, October 16th, 1972 through Sunday, October 22nd, 1972. There were a total of 65 programs broadcast during the week and The Los Angeles Times published the complete Nielsen report on November 2nd, 1972. Thanks to the World Series, NBC was able to take the top two slots, pushing All in the Family to third. Games 3 broadcast on Wednesday, October 18th, drew a 33.6 Nielsen rating while Game 4, broadcast on Thursday, October 19th, drew a 33.5 rating. All in the Family was a close third with a 32.7. Rounding out the Top Five was Bridget Loves Bernie with a 28.3 and “How to Handle a Woman,” a Dinah Shore special broadcast on Thursday, October 20th on NBC, with a 28.0. The 6th Annual Country Music Association Awards, broadcast on Monday, October 16th, also ranked in the Top Ten.
For the week as a whole, NBC averaged a 22.8 Nielsen rating (the highest of the season and up from a 20.2 rating the week before), CBS a 19.2 (down from a 19.8) and ABC a 17.2 (down from an 18.0). Here’s the Top Ten, complete with Nielsen ratings:
| ## | Program | Net | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | World Series Game 3, Wed. | NBC | 33.6 |
| 2. | World Series Game 4, Thurs. | NBC | 33.5 |
| 3. | All in the Family | CBS | 32.7 |
| 4. | Bridget Loves Bernie | CBS | 28.3 |
| 5. | Dinah Shore Special | NBC | 28.0 |
| 6. | Hawaii Five-O | CBS | 27.1 |
| 7. | Marcus Welby, M.D. | ABC | 25.9 |
| 8. | 6th Annual Country Music Association Awards | CBS | 24.2 |
| 9. | Gunsmoke | CBS | 23.5 |
| 10. | McMillan and Wife (NBC Mystery Movie) | NBC | 23.9 |
Here’s ABC’s flow of the audience for Wednesday, October 18th, when it aired The Paul Lynde Show, The ABC Wednesday Movie and The Julie Andrews Hour:
Time Program Rating 8:00PM The Paul Lynde Show 18.5/28 8:30PM The ABC Wednesday Movie (avg) 16.5/23 9:00PM The ABC Wednesday Movie (avg) 16.5/23 9:30PM The ABC Wednesday Movie (avg) 16.5/23 10:00PM The Julie Andrews Hour (avg) 9.8/15 10:30PM The Julie Andrews Hour (avg) 9.8/15
And here’s how CBS did on Tuesday, October 17th, with its line-up of Maude, Hawaii Five-O and The CBS Tuesday Movie (Sand Castles):
Time Program Rating 8:00PM Maude 23.5/35 8:30PM Hawaii Five-O (avg) 27.1/41 9:00PM Hawaii Five-O (avg) 27.1/41 9:30PM The CBS Tuesday Movie (avg) 20.1/35 10:00PM The CBS Tuesday Movie (avg) 20.1/35 10:30PM The CBS Tuesday Movie (avg) 20.1/35
Finally, here’s how NBC fared on Sunday, October 22nd, when it aired The Wonderful World of Disney, The NBC Mystery Movie and Night Gallery:
Time Program Rating 7:30PM The Wonderful World of Disney (avg) 21.8/35 8:00PM The Wonderful World of Disney (avg) 21.8/35 8:30PM The NBC Mystery Movie (avg) 23.5/36 9:00PM The NBC Mystery Movie (avg) 23.5/36 9:30PM The NBC Mystery Movie (avg) 23.5/36 10:00PM The NBC Mystery Movie (avg) 23.5/36 10:30PM Night Gallery 14.5/24
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