TV Ratings : ‘Jacksons’ Has ABC Dancing

“The Jacksons: An American Dream,” a film about the pop music family, teamed with “Roseanne” to propel ABC to victory in last week’s ratings, the A.C. Nielsen research firm reported Tuesday. Ranking third nationally, Sunday’s broadcast of “The Jacksons”--the first part of a five-hour miniseries--helped give ABC its third consecutive weekly triumph as the network averaged a 13.4 rating. CBS was second with a 12.9 and NBC had an 11.6.

The overall ratings for the week emphasized ABC’s prime-time thrust as it bids to beat top-ranked CBS in the November sweeps, which help set ad prices for stations. CBS got a boost when the second part of its “Sinatra” miniseries, about the singer-actor, came in eighth.

“The Jacksons” and “Roseanne” were the two most-watched programs in Los Angeles last week.

* Although NBC’s two-hour special “Donahue: The 25th Anniversary”--a tribute to the talk-show host--aired opposite “The Jacksons,” it fared respectably in the ratings, finishing at No. 22.

TV Ratings

Points Share 1. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 22.5 35 2. “Roseanne” (ABC) 21.4 31 3. “The Jacksons (Part 1)” (ABC) 21.1 31 4. “Murphy Brown” (CBS) 20.4 29 5. “Cheers” (NBC) 19.7 30 * “Donahue: The 25th Anniversary” (NBC) 14.6 22

Complete list, F11 (Each rating point represents 931,000 homes.

Share is the percentage of viewing audience.)