Blockbuster Films Lead NBC to Weekly Feast

A stampede of movie blockbusters--including repeats of “Jurassic Park� and “Home Alone�--gobbled up another easy ratings victory for NBC last week, according to figures released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

The third airing of “Jurassic Park� helped NBC roar to a rare Sunday win while taking a bite out of Fox’s “The X-Files,� which scored its lowest rating this season. Nearly 24 million people also tuned in Thanksgiving night--again--to see Macaulay Culkin outwit adults in “Home Alone,� which attracted more than twice as many viewers as CBS’ restored “My Fair Lady.� NBC delivered big numbers as well Saturday night with the dog-themed comedy “Beethoven’s 2nd,� starring Charles Grodin.

The week also marked the onset of a barrage of holiday specials. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer� won its Friday time period with CBS’ highest rating that hour in nearly a year, though CBS and ABC didn’t fare nearly as well with music-themed specials hosted by Dolly Parton and Vanessa Williams, respectively.

Fox, meanwhile, continues to reel in big numbers with specials like “Close Call: Cheating Death,� which delivered the network’s highest rating in its time slot since February.

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Southland Ratings

Here are A.C. Nielsen’s Top 10 prime-time programs in the Los Angeles area during the same week. Each rating point equals 49,424 households.

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Program Station Rating 1. Home Improvement KABC 17.0 2. Frasier KNBC 16.8 3. The X-Files KTTV 16.1 4. “Close Call: Cheating Death� KTTV 16.0 5. The Simpsons KTTV 15.8 6. NYPD Blue KABC 15.3 7. ER KNBC 15.0 -- Touched by an Angel KCBS 15.0 9. Spin City KABC 14.6 10. “Jurassic Park� KNBC 14.3

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Weekly Averages

NBC: 10.9

ABC: 9.9

CBS: 9.4

FOX: 7.0

UPN: 3.2

WB: 2.6

Season to Date

NBC: 11.0

CBS: 10.0

ABC: 9.8

FOX: 8.3

UPN: 3.4

WB: 2.8