Television Obscurities » Nielsen Ratings

Top 40 Programs from First Nielsens of the 1963-1964 Season

RGJ — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:45:33 +0000

Here are the Top Forty programs from the first Nielsen report of the 1963-1964 season, covering the period running from Monday, September 23rd through Sunday, October 6th. The report was released on Monday, October 28th. Jack Gould reported on these first Nielsens in The New York Times on October 29th [1]. The Beverly Hillbillies topped the list with a 34.9 Nielsen rating. For the period as a whole, CBS averaged a 20.0 rating (down from a 20.3 the year before), NBC a 17.0 rating (down from a 17.7) and ABC a 16.4 (up from a 14.7).

I don’t know the 33rd program because The New York Times printed the 32nd program — The Flintstones — twice. Furthermore, Gould revealed the following day that My Favorite Martian had been accidentally left off the list [2]. Including it pushed everything else down a slot. He didn’t provide its rating. I’ve reprinted the list as it was published; I assume the sixth entry, given as “Petticoat Fever,” was actually Petticoat Junction.

##	Program	Network	Rating
1.	Hillbillies	CBS	34.9
2.	Bonanza	NBC	30.9
3.	Dick Van Dyke	CBS	28.1
4.	Lucille Ball	CBS	28.1
5.	Andy Griffith	CBS	27.0
6.	Petticoat Fever	CBS	25.9
7.	Danny Thomas	CBS	25.8
8.	Red Skelton	CBS	24.6
9.	Perry Mason	CBS	24.2
10.	Donna Reed	ABC	23.9

11.	I’ve Got a Secret	CBS	23.9
12.	Patty Duke	ABC	23.5
13.	Candid Camera	CBS	23.4
14.	Dr. Kildare	NBC	22.9
15.	Ben Casey	ABC	22.8
16.	Jack Benny	CBS	22.4
17.	Hazel	NBC	22.2
18.	My Favorite Martian	CBS	??.?
19.	The Virginian	ABC	21.7
20.	Gunsmoke	CBS	21.4

21.	Grindl	NBC	21.3
22.	Ed Sullivan	CBS	21.1
23.	Lawrence Welk	ABC	20.9
24.	Walt Disney	NBC	20.9
25.	What’s My Line	CBS	20.5
26.	Ozzie and Harriet	ABC	20.3
27.	My Three Sons	ABC	20.3
28.	McHale’s Navy	ABC	20.2
29.	Wagon Train	NBC	20.1
30.	To Tell the Truth	CBS	20.0

31.	Jackie Gleason	CBS	19.9
32.	Rawhide	CBS	19.8
33.	Flintstones	ABC	19.7
34.	?	NBC	19.6
35.	Outer Limits	ABC	19.3
36.	Joey Bishop	NBC	19.3
37.	The Nurses	CBS	19.2
38.	Garry Moore	CBS	19.1
39.	Fugitive	ABC	19.0
40.	The Greatest Show on Earth	ABC	18.9

41.	Combat	ABC	18.8

Works Cited:

1 Gould, Jack. “‘Hillbillies’ Lead ni Nielsen Study.” New York Times. 29 Oct. 1963: 71.
2 Gould, Jack. “TV: Ratings of the Autumn Premieres.” New York Times. 30 Oct. 1963: 79.

Nielsen Bottom 15 for the First Two Weeks of the 1965-1966 Season

RGJ — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:17:58 +0000

For the most part when newspapers or magazines reported the Nielsen ratings in decades past only the Top Twenty or Top Forty programs were listed. Whether this was due to restrictions enforced by Nielsen (these days the company is very protective of its data) or an editorial decision is beside the point. What is important is that on October 12th, 1965 The New York Times reported both the Top Forty and the Bottom 15 programs for the first two weeks of the 1965-1966 season. The period in question ran from Monday, September 13th through Sunday, September 26th. All the way at the bottom with a 4.8 Nielsen rating was CBS Reports. Topping the chart was NBC’s Bonanza with a 31.1 rating.

One reason for the poor performance of these shows was their time slot. Killer competition on the other two networks would result in low ratings regardless of quality. ABC’s The Donna Reed Show, for example, was up against Gilligan’s Island (14, 22.3) on CBS and Daniel Boone (37th, 19.3) on NBC. The combined rating for the three programs was a 52.5, meaning more than half of all television households in the country were watching the networks (the share of the audience, or the number of televisions in use at the time, was likely close to 90%).

Here’s the complete list of the Bottom 15 programs. New shows are marked:

##	Program	Network	Rating
82.	Rawhide	CBS	12.7
83.	The Steve Lawrence Show (New)	CBS	12.6
84.	Amos Burke	ABC	12.5
85.	Jimmy Dean	ABC	12.3
86.	The Trials of O’Brien (New)	CBS	11.9
	The King Family	ABC	11.9
88.	Ozzie and Harriet	ABC	11.4
89.	Camp Runamuck (New)	NBC	10.9
	The Donna Reed Show	ABC	10.9
91.	Slattery’s People	CBS	10.5
92.	Hank (New)	NBC	10.1
93.	Shindig I	ABC	9.7
94.	Shindig II (New)	ABC	9.6
95.	Convoy (New)	NBC	9.3
96.	CBS Reports	CBS	4.8

Works Cited:

Adams, Val. “‘Bonanza’ Leads Nielsen TV Poll.” New York Times. 12 Oct. 1956: 95.

Top 20 Shows with Teens for the 1964-1965 Season

RGJ — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:04:32 +0000

Last week I wrote about the Top 10 Specials of the 1964-1965 Season and today I revisit that season with the top twenty shows in the teenage demographic, specifically those viewers between the ages of 12 and 17. An article in the June 1965 issue of Television Magazine revealed that that program with the highest percentage of teenage viewers was ABC’s Shindig. Teenagers made up 17.6% of its audience while women were 32.9%, men 26.3% and children 23.3%. Next was NBC’s Hullabaloo with 17.1% followed by ABC’s The Patty Duke Show and My Three Sons, both with 15.1%.

The program with the most teenage viewers was the CBS broadcast of The Wizard of Oz on January 17th, 1965, which was watched by more than seven million teenagers (and, as Television Magazine revealed, 26 million children). For the record, at the time teenagers between the age of 12 and 17 made up just 11.7% of the population of the United States. Here’s the list as it appeared in Television Magazine, ranked by total teenage viewers:

##	Program	Net	Teen Viewers	%
1.	The Wizard of Oz (Special)	CBS	7,170,000	12.4
2.	Bewitched	ABC	5,190,000	13.7
3.	Bonanza	NBC	4,670,000	12.4
4.	My Three Sons	ABC	4,450,000	15.1
5.	Shindig	ABC	4,370,000	17.6
6.	The Patty Duke Show	ABC	4,320,000	15.1
7.	Gilligan’s Island	CBS	4,160,000	11.8
8.	No Time for Sergeants	ABC	3,900,000	14.4
9.	Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color	NBC	3,840,000	9.9
10.	The Addams Family	ABC	3,760,000	11.2

11.	The Fugitive	ABC	3,680,000	11.8
12.	Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.	CBS	3,640,000	10.1
13.	My Favorite Martian	CBS	3,620,000	11.1
14.	The Donna Reed Show	ABC	3,610,000	13.3
15.	Combat	ABC	3,570,000	10.6
16.	The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet	ABC	3,520,000	14.5
17.	The Munsters	CBS	3,480,000	11.6
18.	The Dick Van Dyke Show	CBS	3,470,000	10.8
19.	Peyton Place II	ABC	3,240,000	12.7
20.	Hullabaloo	NBC	3,200,000	17.1

And here’s the list reordered by the percentage of teenage viewers:

##	Program	Net	Teen Viewers	%
1.	Shindig	ABC	4,370,000	17.6
2.	Hullabaloo	NBC	3,200,000	17.1
3.	My Three Sons	ABC	4,450,000	15.1
4.	The Patty Duke Show	ABC	4,320,000	15.1
5.	The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet	ABC	3,520,000	14.5
6.	No Time for Sergeants	ABC	3,900,000	14.4
7.	Bewitched	ABC	5,190,000	13.7
8.	The Donna Reed Show	ABC	3,610,000	13.3
9.	Peyton Place II	ABC	3,240,000	12.7
10.	The Wizard of Oz (Special)	CBS	7,170,000	12.4

11.	Bonanza	NBC	4,670,000	12.4
12.	Gilligan’s Island	CBS	4,160,000	11.8
13.	The Fugitive	ABC	3,680,000	11.8
14.	The Munsters	CBS	3,480,000	11.6
15.	The Addams Family	ABC	3,760,000	11.2
16.	My Favorite Martian	CBS	3,620,000	11.1
17.	The Dick Van Dyke Show	CBS	3,470,000	10.8
18.	Combat	ABC	3,570,000	10.6
19.	Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.	CBS	3,640,000	10.1
10.	Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color	NBC	3,840,000	9.9

Sources:

“Television A Go Go.” Television Magazine. Jun. 1965: 38-41; 50-52.

Top 10 Specials of the 1964-1965 Season

RGJ — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:52:53 +0000

Here are the Top Top entertainment specials broadcast during the 1964-1965 season. The list was published in the May 24th, 1965 issue of Broadcasting [1]. The most-watched special was the February 12th, 1964 showing of Cinderella on CBS. It drew a 42.3 Nielsen rating and was seen in more than 22 million households. The color extravaganza starred Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella and Stuart Damon as Prince Charming (the cast also included Ginger Rogers, Celeste Holm and others). It was the second time the Rodgers and Hammerstein take on the fairy tale had been seen on television. Julie Andrews starred in the first, aired in 1957 (also on CBS); a third version, starring Brandy Norwood, was broadcast in 1997 on ABC.

Other specials included the Academy Awards, the Miss America Pageant and a whole bunch of “personality” specials starring Danny Thomas or Bob Hope. You don’t often see specials on television these days, aside from awards shows. For the record, the 2009 Academy Awards drew a 20.6 Nielsen rating [2]. As for the Miss America Pageant, it hasn’t been seen on network television since September 18th, 2004 when ABC’s broadcast drew a paltry 6.8 rating [3]. Sad.

##	Program	Airdate	Net	Rating	Households
1.	Cinderella	02/12/1965	CBS	42.3	22,250,000
2.	Miss America Pageant	09/12/1964	CBS	40.3	21,200,000
3.	Danny Thomas Special	03/14/1965	NBC	38.9	20,460,000
4.	Academy Awards	04/05/1965	ABC	37.4	19,670,000
5.	Bob Hope Christmas Show	01/15/1965	NBC	36.0	18,940,000
6.	Wizard of Oz	01/17/1965	CBS	34.7	18,250,000
7.	Bob Hope Special	02/12/1965	NBC	27.4	14,410,000
8.	Danny Thomas Special	02/14/1965	CBS	26.5	13,940,000
9.	Bob Hope Special	11/20/1964	NBC	25.5	13,410,000
10.	Miss Teen-age Pageant	11/13/1964	CBS	25.3	13,310,000

Works Cited:

1 “Specials rank well when compared with regular programs.” Broadcasting. 24 May 1965: 31.
2 Curran, John. “Pageant ratings drop again, despite gimmicks.” Associated Press. 21 Sep. 2004: BC Cycle.
3 Seidman, Robert. “Academy Awards American Idol and The Mentalist lead broadcast viewing.” TVbytheNumbers.com. 24 Feb. 2009. (Read online).

The 1985-1986 Season, Week by Week

RGJ — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:54:31 +0000

Here’s a chart listing the top programs for each week of the 1985-1986 season, including the summer repeat months. The season officially began on Monday, September 23rd, 1985 and ended 30 weeks later on Sunday, April 14th, 1986. NBC was easily the top network in the Nielsen ratings with a 17.5 rating. CBS was second with a 16.7 rating and ABC brought up the rear with a 14.9 rating. It was the first time NBC won a television season, having previously tied for first with CBS during the 1969-70 and 1970-71 seasons.

The highest-rating program was NBC’s The Cosby Show, which ranked first for an astounding 27 weeks during the official season and 46 times during the 1985-1986 season as a whole. Furthermore, during four of those six weeks NBC was still had the top program. ABC was able to top the weekly rankings just twice, once for the seventh game of the World Series and again for the Thursday edition of “Liberty Weekend.”

NBC had five of the Top Ten shows for the season, while CBS had three and ABC two. Here they are:

1. The Cosby Show (NBC)
2. Family Ties (NBC)
3. Murder, She Wrote (CBS)
4. 60 Minutes (CBS)
5. Cheers (NBC)
6. Dallas (CBS)
7. Dynasty (ABC)
8. The Golden Girls (NBC)
9. Miami Vice (NBC)
10. Who’s the Boss? (ABC)

The source for the chart is the Associated Press, which released a list of the previous week’s Top Twenty shows every Tuesday.

Week ##	Date	Top Program	Network
Week 01	Sep 23rd, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 02	Sep 30th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 03	Oct 07th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 04	Oct 14th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 05	Oct 21st, 1985	SPORTS: World Series, Game 7	ABC
Week 06	Oct 28th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 07	Nov 04th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 08	Nov 11th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 09	Nov 18th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 10	Nov 25th, 1985	TELEFILM: Perry Mason Returns	NBC
Week 11	Dec 02nd, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 12	Dec 09th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 13	Dec 16th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 14	Dec 23rd, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 15	Dec 30th, 1985	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 16	Jan 06th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 17	Jan 13th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 18	Jan 20th, 1986	SPORTS: Superbowl XXX	NBC
Week 19	Jan 27th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 20	Feb 3rd, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 21	Feb 10th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 22	Feb 17th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 23	Feb 24th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 24	Mar 03rd, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 25	Mar 10th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 26	Mar 17th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 27	Mar 24th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 28	Mar 31st, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 29	Apr 07th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 30	Apr 14th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC

Regular Season Ends

Week 31	Apr 21st, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 32	Apr 28th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 33	May 05th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 34	May 12th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 35	May 19th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 36	May 26th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 37	Jun 02nd, 1986	Family Ties	NBC
Week 38	Jun 09th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 39	Jun 16th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 40	Jun 23rd, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 41	Jun 30th, 1986	Liberty Weekend (Thurs.)	ABC
Week 42	Jul 07th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 43	Jul 14th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 44	Jul 21st, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 45	Jul 28th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 46	Aug 04th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 47	Aug 11th, 1986	Family Ties	NBC
Week 48	Aug 18th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 49	Aug 25th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 50	Sep 01st, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 51	Sep 08th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC
Week 52	Sep 15th, 1986	The Cosby Show	NBC

The 1979-1980 Season, Week by Week

RGJ — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:03:12 +0000

This is something I’ve wanted to do for several years now and with the 2009-2010 television season officially getting underway tomorrow I decided now was the perfect time to try it out. It’s one thing to see the Top Ten or Top Thirty shows for any given television season but you can only draw so many conclusions from a list of the top shows. To really get a feel for a television season you need to see which programs were number one each and every week. So I’ve put together a chart listing the top programs for each week of the 1979-1980 season, including the summer months filled with repeats.

The season began on Monday, September 17th, 1979 and ended 31 weeks later on Sunday, April 20th, 1980. CBS came in first with a 19.6 Nielsen rating, ABC was second with a 19.5 and NBC brought up the rear with a 17.4. CBS had eight of the top ten shows for the season (ABC had the other two) while NBC’s best showing was 15th for Real People. Here are the top ten:

1. 60 Minutes (CBS)
2. Three’s Company (ABC)
3. That’s Incredible (ABC)
4. M*A*S*H (CBS)
5. Alice (CBS)
6. Dallas (CBS)
7. Flo (CBS)
8. The Jeffersons (CBS)
9. The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS)
10. One Day at a Time (CBS)

More questionable, however, is when exactly the 1980-1981 season started and thus when the 1979-1980 repeat season came to a close. Due to a pesky actors strike, production on new and returning shows was delayed for months. Nonetheless, NBC insisted that the season began as scheduled on Monday, September 15th, 1980. ABC and CBS, on the other hand, called Monday, October 27th the official start of the season, and that seems to be what Nielsen went with as well. (Either way, the season ended on Sunday, April 10th, 1981 with CBS the winner.)

I decided not to include the actual Nielsen ratings for the top programs because I don’t think necessarily important for seeing trends. My source for the following chart is the Associated Press, which released a list of the previous week’s Top Twenty shows every Tuesday.

Week ##	Date	Top Program	Network
Week 01	Sep 17th, 1979	Eight is Enough	ABC
Week 02	Sep 24th, 1979	Three’s Company	ABC
Week 03	Oct 01st, 1979	Alice	CBS
Week 04	Oct 08th, 1979	SPORTS: World Series, Game 2	ABC
Week 05	Oct 15th, 1979	SPORTS: World Series, Game 7	ABC
Week 06	Oct 22nd, 1979	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 07	Oct 29th, 1979	MOVIE: Jaws	ABC
Week 08	Nov 05th, 1979	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 09	Nov 12th, 1979	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 10	Nov 19th, 1979	MOVIE: Smokey and the Bandit	NBC
Week 11	Nov 26th, 1979	Three’s Company	ABC
Week 12	Dec 03rd, 1979	Alice	CBS
Week 13	Dec 10th, 1979	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 14	Dec 17th, 1979	Three’s Company	ABC
Week 15	Dec 24th, 1979	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 16	Dec 31st, 1979	SPORTS: NFL Championship Post-Game	CBS
Week 17	Jan 07th, 1980	The Dukes of Hazzard	CBS
Week 18	Jan 14th, 1980	SPORTS: Superbowl XIV	CBS
Week 19	Jan 21st, 1980	The Dukes of Hazzard	CBS
Week 20	Jan 28th, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 21	Feb 04th, 1980	Dallas	CBS
Week 22	Feb 11th, 1980	Three’s Company	ABC
Week 23	Feb 18th, 1980	MOVIE: Harper Valley PTA	NBC
Week 24	Feb 25th, 1980	Alice	CBS
Week 25	Mar 03rd, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 26	Mar 10th, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 27	Mar 17th, 1980	Dallas	CBS
Week 28	Mar 24th, 1980	Flo and MAS*H (tie)	CBS
Week 29	Mar 31st, 1980	MAS*H	CBS
Week 30	Apr 07th, 1980	TELEFILM: Kenny Rogers as The Gambler	CBS
Week 31	Apr 14th, 1980	SPECIAL: The Academy Awards	ABC

Regular Season Ends

Week 32	Apr 21st, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 33	Apr 28th, 1980	The Dukes of Hazzard	CBS
Week 34	May 05th, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 35	May 12th, 1980	Miss USA Pageant	CBS
Week 36	May 19th, 1980	MAS*H	CBS
Week 37	May 26th, 1980	20/20	ABC
Week 38	Jun 02nd, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 39	Jun 09th, 1980	The Jeffersons	CBS
Week 40	June 16th, 1980	The Jeffersons	CBS
Week 41	June 23rd, 1980	MAS*H	CBS
Week 42	June 30th, 1980	MAS*H and Three’s Company (tie)	CBS/ABC
Week 43	Jul 07th, 1980	All-Star Baseball Game	ABC
Week 44	Jul 14th, 1980	The Jeffersons	CBS
Week 45	Jul 21st, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 46	Jul 28th, 1980	The Jeffersons	CBS
Week 47	Aug 04th, 1980	Barbara Walters’ Summer Special	ABC
Week 48	Aug 11th, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 49	Aug 18th, 1980	Circus of the Stars	CBS
Week 50	Aug 25th, 1980	MAS*H and Dallas (tie)	CBS
Week 51	Sep 01st, 1980	Miss America Pageant	NBC
Week 52	Sep 08th, 1980	TELEFILM: The Women’s Room	ABC

NBC Begins 1980-1981 Season

Week 53	Sep 15th, 1980	MINISERIES: Shogun, Part III	NBC
Week 54	Sep 22nd, 1980	60 Minutes	CBS
Week 55	Sep 29th, 1980	TELEFILM: Playing for Time	CBS
Week 56	Oct 06th, 1980	SPORTS: National League Championship, Game 5	ABC
Week 57	Oct 13th, 1980	SPORTS: World Series, Game 5	NBC
Week 58	Oct 20th, 1980	SPORTS: World Series, Game 6	NBC

National Nielsen, Videodex and Pulse Ratings, April 1950

RGJ — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:30:10 +0000

A May 31st, 1950 article in The Chicago Daily Tribune offers a wonderful opportunity to compare three television rating services on a national level. As always, the article doesn’t indicate the period these figures cover but the inclusion of a Bob Hope special (his very first, actually) titled “Star-Spangled Revue” means they date back at least to Sunday, April 9th. The three charts, from Nielsen, Videodex and The Pulse, Inc. are introduced as “the latest comparative ratings for the top 10 TV shows, according to three national polling organizations.” Milton Berle topped all three.

Nielsen Top 10

##	Program	Rating
1.	Texaco Star Theater (The Milton Berle Show)	77.7
2.	Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts	70.6
3.	Star Spangled Revue (Bob Hope Special)	57.6
4.	Arthur Godfrey and Friends	57.4
5.	Toast of the Town	55.1
6.	Stop the Music (first half)	51.6
7.	Stop the Music (second half)	48.6
8.	Cavalcade of Sports	45.1
9.	Lone Ranger	44.8
10.	Television Playhouse	44.5

Videodex Top 10

##	Program	Rating
1.	Texaco Star Theatre (The Milton Berle Show)	65.3
2.	Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts	53.5
3.	Arthur Godfrey and Friends	47.8
4.	Toast of the Town	44.6
5.	Stop the Music	39.5
6.	Fireside Theater	38.9
7.	Television Theater	38.8
9.	TV Playhouse	36.5
10.	Martin Kane	36.0
	Lights Out	36.0

The Pulse, Inc. Top 10

##	Program	Rating
1.	Texaco Star Theater (The Milton Berle Show)	55.2
2.	Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts	42.6
3.	Arthur Godfrey and Friends	40.8
4.	Toast of the Ton	40.2
5.	Stop the Music	34.5
6.	The Goldbergs	33.0
7.	Television Theater	31.8
8.	Saturday Night Revue	31.6
9.	Fireside Theater	29.3
10.	Studio One	28.2

I’m not sure why Nielsen split Face the Music in half, nor can I say exactly how many cities or television households were counted by the three companies.

Sources:
“Bob Hope Grabs Top Rung in 20 TV Appearance.” Chicago Daily Tribune. 31 May 1950: 16.

Nielsen Top Ten, April 3rd, 1967 to April 16th, 1967

RGJ — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:13:50 +0000

Here are the Top Ten programs from the final two weeks (the 30th and 31st) of the 1966-1967 season according to the Nielsen ratings. I’m able to continue providing these lists thanks to a generous reader who would like to remain anonymous. Note that these aren’t the two-week combined NTI reports but the individual Top Ten lists for each week.

For the 30th week of the season, which ran Monday, April 3rd, 1967 through Sunday, April 9th, 1967, CBS had six of the top ten highest-rated programs and four of the top five. ABC and NBC each had two. NBC’s highest was Bonanza, which placed third with a 25.4 rating while ABC’s highest was Bewitched, which was sixth with a 25.1 rating. Fifth was a Sid Caesar special on CBS, broadcast from 8:30-9:30PM on Wednesday, April 5th.

##	Program	Net	Rating
1.	The Red Skelton Hour	CBS	28.7
2.	The Andy Griffin Show	CBS	28.0
3.	Bonanza	NBC	25.4
4.	The Lucy Show	CBS	25.3
5.	“Sid Caesar Special”	CBS	25.2
6.	Bewitched	ABC	25.1
7.	The Lawrence Welk Show	ABC	24.0
8.	Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.	CBS	23.0
9.	Hogan’s Heroes	CBS	22.9
10.	Get Smart	NBC	22.8

The 31st and final week of the 1966-1967 season was filled with specials. The top three slots were all specials with the 39th Annual Academy Awards on ABC topping the list with an astounding 41.2 rating. An AFTRA strike ended just hours before the awards ceremony was set to begin. Second was a repeat of “Charlie Brown’s All-Stars” on CBS, broadcast from 8:30-9PM on Monday, April 10th. And third was a Dick Van Dyke special, also on CBS, which was aired on Tuesday, April 11th from 8:30-9:30PM. Sixth was a Danny Thomas special on NBC, which ran from 9-10PM on Wednesday, April 12th.

All told, CBS had five of the top ten, NBC had three and ABC two.

##	Program	Net	Rating
1.	“39th Annual Academy Awards”	ABC	41.2
2.	“Charlie Brown’s All-Stars”	CBS	30.7
3.	“Dick Van Dyke Special”	CBS	29.8
4.	The Andy Griffith Show	CBS	28.6
5.	Bonanza	NBC	26.8
6.	“Danny Thomas Special”	NBC	25.6
	Bewitched	ABC	25.6
8.	Family Affair	CBS	25.5
9.	I Spy	NBC	24.3
10.	Green Acres	CBS	24.0

And thus did the regular 1966-1967 television season draw to a close. I haven’t decided whether to tackle another season or pick and chose interesting ratings tidbits to share. We’ll see.

Nielsen Top Ten, March 20th – April 2nd, 1967

RGJ — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:27:48 +0000

Here are the Top Ten programs from the 28th and 29th weeks of the 1966-1967 season according to the Nielsen ratings. I’m able to continue providing these lists thanks to a generous reader who would like to remain anonymous. Note that these aren’t the two-week combined NTI reports but the individual Top Ten lists for each week. Once again there were no sporting events and no specials but there were two movies during the first week. One was on ABC and was first for the week.

For the 26th week of the season, which ran Monday, March 20th, 1967 through Sunday, March 26th, 1967, ABC threw a huge wrench into the usual workings of the season and captured the top spot with its broadcast of The Robe on Sunday, March 26th, 1967. It ran from 7-9:30PM. It was ABC’s only program in the Top Ten. Another movie, Lillies in the Field, was third for CBS. It was broadcast on Friday, March 24th from 9-11PM. NBC was only able to place two shows in the Top Ten.

##	Program	Net	Rating
1.	The Robe (Movie)	ABC	31.0
2.	The Red Skelton Hour	CBS	30.7
3.	Lillies of the Field (Movie)	CBS	30.0
4.	Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.	CBS	28.8
5.	The Andy Griffith Show	CBS	28.3
6.	The Lucy Show	CBS	28.0
7.	Green Acres	CBS	27.4
8.	Daktari	CBS	25.8
9.	The Dean Martin Show	NBC	25.5
10.	The Virginian	CBS	24.8

For the 29th week of the season, which ran Monday, March 27th, 1967 through Sunday, April 2nd, 1967, NBC did much better, tying for first and taking the fourth spot as well. Poor ABC was shut out completely. And there were no movies, no sporting events, no specials, just regularly scheduled weekly scripted shows.

##	Program	Net	Rating
1.	The Andy Griffith Show	CBS	29.7
	Bonanza	NBC	29.7
3.	The Red Skelton Hour	CBS	27.9
4.	The Dean Martin Show	NBC	27.6
5.	The Lucy Show	CBS	26.9
6.	Family Affair	CBS	26.0
7.	Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.	CBS	25.5
8.	Green Acres	CBS	25.3
9.	Daktari	CBS	24.8
10.	The Beverly Hillbillies	CBS	24.1

Nielsen Top Ten, March 6th, 1967 – March 19th, 1967

RGJ — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:58:19 +0000

Here are the Top Ten programs from the 26th and 27th weeks of the 1966-1967 season according to the Nielsen ratings. I’m able to continue providing these lists thanks to a generous reader who would like to remain anonymous. Note that these aren’t the two-week combined NTI reports but the individual Top Ten lists for each week. Also of interest is the fact that during this period there were no specials, sporting events or movies in the Nielsen Top Ten, just regular weekly programming.

For the 26th week of the season, which ran Monday, March 6th, 1967 through Sunday, March 12th, 1967, CBS captured eight of the Top Ten slots in the Nielsens. NBC’s best performer was Bonanza, which ranked 4th, while ABC’s was The Lawrence Welk Show in eighth place.

##	Program	Net	Rating
1.	The Red Skelton Hour	CBS	31.3
2.	The Andy Griffith Show	CBS	28.8
3.	The Jackie Gleason Show	CBS	27.1
4.	Bonanza	NBC	26.6
5.	The Lucy Show	CBS	25.7
6.	Daktari	CBS	25.3
7.	Petticoat Junction	CBS	24.0
8.	The Lawrence Welk Show	ABC	23.7
9.	The Ed Sullivan Show	CBS	23.5
10.	The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour	CBS	23.4

For the 27th week of the season, which ran Monday, March 13th, 1967 through Sunday, March 19th, 1967, NBC did a little better, placing three shows in the Top Ten. ABC could only manage to place Bewitched tenth.

##	Program	Net	Rating
1.	The Red Skelton Hour	CBS	29.5
2.	The Andy Griffith Show	CBS	28.6
3.	The Dean Martin Show	NBC	27.9
4.	The Jackie Gleason Show	CBS	27.1
5.	The Wonderful World of Disney	NBC	26.6
6.	The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour	CBS	25.9
7.	The Lucy Show	CBS	24.9
	Daktari	CBS	24.9
9.	The Virginian	NBC	24.7
10.	Bewitched	ABC	24.1

Look at all those titles in the form of “The BLANK Show” or “The BLANK Hour.” The Lawrence Welk Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Dean Martin Show, the list goes on. And so many of them were comedy/variety. Was the 1966-1967 season the high water mark of the genre?