Primetime ratings from the 70's

[Paul Raven]

Hope ratings nerds out there might enjoy a look back to the days of 3 networks fighting it out.

I'm going to try to keep to a chronological order.

Ratings delivery wasn't as instant or comprehensive back then so not as detailed as later years.

ABC was perennial third place in the early 70's as NBC tried to wrest the #1 spot from perennial leader CBS.

 

Top 10 week ending Jan 25  1970 NBC won that week

1. My Sweet Charlie NBC (Tuesday TV movie with Patty Duke and Al Freeman (Ed OLTL)

2. Hombre ABC Sunday Movie

The other top 10 shows that week 

CBS

Harlem Globetrotters Special

Here's Lucy

Gunsmoke

Red Skelton

NBC

Laugh In

Texas Across the River (Monday Movie)

Julia

Walt Disney

 

Week ending Feb 1 1970

NBC 20.3/32

CBS 20.0/31

ABC 17.8/28

 

1. Circus Special NBC

2. Danny Thomas Special CBS

NBC had another Top 10 special World of the Beaver (!)

Edited April 6, 2020 by Paul Raven

[Paul Raven]

Week ending Sept 27 1970 Premiere Week (all 3 networks showing new programming)

1. Marcus Welby ABC

2. Thursday Movie CBS

3. Movie of The Week ABC

4. The FBI ABC

5. Here's Lucy CBS

6. Sunday Movie ABC

7. Room 222 ABC

8. Johnny Cash ABC

9. Medical Center

10. Bonanza

11. Saturday Movie NBC

12, Carol Burnett CBS

13. Laugh In NBC

14. Flip wilson NBC

15. Matberry RFD CBS

16. Doris Day CBS

17. That Girl ABC

18. Patridge Family ABC

19. Gunsmoke CBS

20. Bewitched ABC

21. Mannix CBS

22. Ed Sullivan CBS

23. Glen Campbell CBS

24. Hawaii Five O CBS

25. Friday Movie CBS

26. Mary Tyler Moore CBS

27. Mod Squad ABC

28. Make Room for Grandaddy NBC

29. Ironside NBC

30. Monday Movie NBC

31. My Three Sons CBS

32. Love Americaan Style ABC

33. Bold Ones NBC

34. Adam 12 NBC

35. Arnie CBS

36. Mission Impossible CBS

37. Men From Shiloh NBC

38. To Rome With Love CBS

39. Jim Nabors CBS

40. Hee Haw CBS

[Soapsuds]

Any 1977, 1978 and 1979 ratings?

[Paul Raven]

1977 Sept 15-21 First week of ratings, although several series had already premiered.

Time slot winners in bold

ABC won 3 nights Tues, Wed, Thurs, NBC won 3 Mon,Fri, Sat and CBS took Sunday.

Several series had yet to premiere.

 

 

[Soapsuds]

Wonder Woman!

[Paul Raven]

CBS had picked it up from ABC along with Tony Randall Show.NBC got in on the act by picking up Bionic Woman.

ABC had decided those shows were not needed. ABC had hit #1 for the first time ever and were dominating the schedule.

CBS had aging and fading shows like The Waltons, Hawaii Five O, Barnaby Jones, Kojak .

Mary Tyler Moore had ended and Bob Newhart was in it's last season. Mash was under threat from Three's Company etc.

 

ABC introduced Love Boat which immediately hit the Top 10 and buried Carol Burnett.

 

Puzzled by some of the scheduling. 

CBS puts Young Daniel Boone up against Little House? Surely competing for the same audience.

They had a lot of faith in Betty White, scheduling it at Mon @9. Initial ratings were strong but it quickly faded.

Maybe Sat @9 in Mary Tyler Moore's old slot would have been better?

 

NBC put Richard Pryor at 8pm opposite Happy Days??

[Paul Raven]

New series ranking 1978/79 season at Wk 2 of the season

Rating Share

5. Galactica (ABC) 26.9 43

8. Mork and Mindy (ABC) 25.4 43

10. Taxi (ABC) 24.7 38

14. VegaS (ABC) 23.9 40

38. People (CBS) 17.2 26

39. Live Wednesday (NBC) 16.9 28

43. WKRP in Cincinnati (CBS) 15.6 25

43. Flying High (CBS) 15.6 28

46. In the Beginning (CBS) 15.4 25

50. Grandpa Goes to Washington(NBC) 14.2 24

52. Kaz (CBS) 14.1 23

55. Eddie Capra Mysteries(NBC) 13.3 24

57. Mary, (CBS) 12.9 21

62. Waverly Wonders (NBC) 11.8 23

 

Galactica would begin to drop but Mork, Taxi and Vegas all held up.

WKRP was moved behind MASH and took off.

CBS kept Kaz and Paper Chase for the whole season. Kaz had a couple of timeslot changes while Paper Chase was sacrificed to Happy Days/Laverne and Shirley.

NBC cancelled all their new shows with WEB the biggest flop, pulled after a few weeks.

62. American Girls (CBS) 11.8 23

64. Who's Watching the Kids. (NBC) 11.1 20

65. Paper Chase (CBS) 11.0 18

68. W.E.B. (NBC) 10.8 19

67. Apple Pie (ABC) 10.3 20

Edited March 6, 2021 by Paul Raven

[Paul Raven]

 November 1974

Rhoda (CBS -TV Monday 9:30 -10 p.m.), one of hit new shows of fall season, chalked up its biggest numbers so far when it went to 60 minutes Oct. 28 (preempting Maude at 9 -9:30) for show titled "Rhoda's Wedding." It hit 35.1 rating and 51 share, compared to 18.2 rating and 26 share for first hour of Pittsburgh- Atlanta football game on ABC and 18.1 rating and 26 share for first hour of Burt Reynolds movie, "Shamus," on NBC

 

The producers wanted to hold back on Rhoda getting married but Fred Silverman wanted big numbers for the November sweeps - a 1hr wedding ep with the Mary Tyler Moore cast included.

[Paul Raven]

The fall 1974 schedule. Here's how things were going after 2 weeks in.

1. All in the Family 28.3/50

2. Chico and the Man 28.3/47

3. Rhoda 26.9/49

4. Sanford and Son 26.6/44

5. The Waltons 24.3/41

6. Maude 24.1/37

7. ABC Sunday Movie 22.8/39

8. Little House on the Prairie 22.7/38

9. MASH 22.7/35

10. NBC Mystery Movie 22.6/35

11. Medical Center 22.4/27

12. Mary Tyler Moore 22.1/38

13. Rockford Files 22.1/38

14. Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers 22.0/38

15. Streets of San Francisco 21.5/34

16. Kojak 21.4/33

17. Bob Newhart 21.3/37

18. Disney 21.2/39

19. Policewoman 21.0/38

20. ABC Tuesday Movie 21.0/32

21. NBC Saturday Movie 20.7/35

22. Good Times 20.7/34

23.  Manhunter 29.5/36

24. NBC Tuesday Movie 20.5/32

25. NBC Monday Movie 20.5/32

26. Gunsmoke 20.1/31

27. Hawaii Five O 19.9/30

28. Police Story 19.3/34

29. CBS Friday Movie 19.1/33

30. Lucas Tanner 19.0/30

 

Day	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30	Network
Sunday	Sonny Comedy Revue		Movie				ABC
	Apple's Way	Kojak		Mannix			CBS
	Walt Disney	Mystery Movie					NBC
Monday	The Rookies		Monday Night Football				ABC
	Gunsmoke		Maude	Rhoda	Medical Center		CBS
	Born Free		Monday Night Movie				NBC
Tuesday	Happy Days	Move of the Week			Marcus Welby, M.D.		ABC
	Good Times	M*A*S*H	Hawaii Five-O		Barnaby Jones		CBS
	Adam 12	Movie			Police Story		NBC
Wednesday	That's My Mama	Movie			Get Christie Love		ABC
	Sons and Daughters		Cannon		Manhunter		CBS
	Little House on the Praire		Lucas Tanner		Petrocelli		NBC
Thursday	Odd Couple	Paper Moon	Streets of San Francisco		Harry-O		ABC
	The Waltons		Movie				CBS
	Sierra		Ironside		Movin' On		NBC
Friday	Kodiak	Six Million Dollar Man		Texas Wheelers	Kolchak: The Night Stalker		ABC
	Planet of the Apes		Movie				CBS
	Sanford and Son	Chico and the Man	Rockford Files		Police Woman		NBC
Saturday	The New Land		Kung Fu		Nakia		ABC
	All in the Family	Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers	Mary Tyler Moore Show	Bob Newhart Show	Carol Burnett Show		CBS
	Emergency		Movie				NBC

Edited June 30, 2021 by Paul Raven

[Paul Raven]

1976/77 Series rankings

1. Happy Days (ABC), 31.4

2. Laverne and Shirley (ABC) 30.9

3. ABC Monday Movie 26.6

4. Charlie's Angels (ABC) 26.0

5. M'A-S'H (CBS) 25.9

6. Big Event -Part I (NBC) 25.4

7. Six Million Dollar Man (ABC) 24.3

8. ABC Sunday Movie 24.2

9. Baretta (ABC) 23.5

10. One Day at a Time (CBS) 23.4

11. Three's Company (ABC) 23.1 6 episode tryout

12. All in the Family (CBS) 22.9

13. Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC) 22.7

14. Bionic Woman (ABC) 22.4 cancelled then picked up by NBC for 77/78

15. Little House on the Prairie (NBC) 22.3

16. Waltons (CBS) 22.3

17. Barney Miller (ABC) 22.2

18. 60 Minutes (CBS) 22.0

19. Hawaii Five -0 (CBS) 21.9

20. NBC Monday Movie 21.7

21. Rich Man, Poor Man -Book II (ABC) 21.6

22. Eight Is Enough (ABC) 21.2 6 episode run with Diana Hyland who died after these episodes

23. NFL Monday Night Football (ABC) 21.1

24. Jeffersons (CBS) 21.0 moved timeslots 3 times during the season

25. What's Happening (ABC) 20.9

26. Good Times (CBS) 20.5

27. Sanford and Son (NBC) 20.3

28. ABC Friday Movies 20.2

29. Tony Randall Show (ABC) 20.0 cancelled by ABC, picked up by CBS for 77/78

30. Alice (CBS) 20.0

31. Maude (CBS) 19.9

32. Wonderful World of Disney (NBC) 19.8

33. Rhoda (CBS) 19.7

34. Starsky and Hutch (ABC) 19.6

35. Busting Loose (CBS) 19.6

36. CBS Wednesday Movie 19.6

37. Feather and Father Gang (ABC) 19.2

38. Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (NBC) 19.2

39. Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS) 19.1

40. Donny and Marie (ABC) 19.1

41. Family (ABC) 19.0

42. Quincy (NBC) 19.0

43. Bob Newhart Show (CBS)19.0

44. Carol Burnett Show (CBS) 19.0

45. Chico and the Man (NBC) 18.9

46. Phyllis (CBS) 18.8

47. Rockford Files (NBC) 18.8

48. Captain and Tennille (ABC) 18.8

49. Barnaby Jones (CBS) 18.7

50. Dog and Cat (ABC) 18.5

51. Fish (ABC) 18.4

52. Streets of San Francisco (ABC) 18.0

53. NBC Mystery Movie -Part I 18.0

54. All's Fair (CBS)17,9

55. Police Woman (NBC) 17.8

56. Brady Bunch Variety Hour- Monday (ABC) 17.7

57. Nancy Walker Show (ABC) 17.6 first of 2 sitcoms she had that season

58. Loves Me, Loves Me Not (CBS) 17.3

59. Most Wanted (ABC)17.3

60. Switch (CBS) 17.3

61. Hardy Boys /Nancy Drew Mysteries (ABC) 17.2

62. Wonder Woman (ABC) 17.2

63. Kojak (CBS) 17.1

64. Police Story (NBC) 17.1

65. Baa Baa Black Sheep (NBC) 17.0

66. NBC Saturday Movie 17.0

67. Emergency (NBC) 16.9

68. Westside Medical (ABC) 16.8

69. Blanskys Beauties (ABC) 16.6 Nancy Walkers second sitcom of the season

70. CPO Sharkey (NBC) 16.3 lowest rated show to be renewed

71. CBS Friday Movies 16.2

72. Jacksons (CBS) 16.1

73. Best Sellers (NBC) '15.8

74. Doc (CBS) 15.7

75. NBC Mystery Movie -Part II 15.2

76. Ball Four (CBS)15.2

77. Blue Knight (CBS) 15.1

78. Serpico (NBC) 14.8

79. Sonny and Cher (CBS) 14.7

80. Delvecchio (CBS) 14.7

81. McLean Stevenson Show (NBC) 14.4

82. Gemini Man (NBC) 14.4

83. Holmes and Yoyo (ABC) 14.4

84. NBC Wednesday Movie 14.4

85. Andros Targets (CBS) 14.1

86. Mr. T and Tina (ABC) 14.0

87. Big Event -Part II (NBC) 13.9

88. Executive Suite (CBS) 13.3

89. Tony Orlando and Dawn (CBS) 13.3

90. Ouest (NBC) 13.1

91. Who's Who (CBS) 13.1

92. Cos (ABC) 13.0

93. Fantastic Journey (NBC) 12.7

94. Practice (NBC) 12.6

95. Gibbsville (NBC) 12.5 96. Code R (CBS) 12.5

97. Kingston: Confidential (NBC) 12.3

98. Sirota's Court (NBC) 12.3

99. Van Dyke and Company (NBC) 12.2

 100. Hunter (CBS) 11.0

101. Tales of the Unexpected (NBC) 11.0

102. Spencer's Pilots (CBS) 10.2

[Faulkner]

 

[Khan]

Fred Silverman was an idiot.

[Paul Raven]

Wk 2 72/73 season

1. All in the Family (CBS) 31.6 55.0

2. Friday Night Movie ( "Valley of the Dolls ") (CBS) 26.9 46.0

3. Bridget Loves Bernie (CBS) 26.7 45.0

4. Flip Wilson (NBC) 25.0 41.0

5. Hawaii Five -O (CBS) 24.6 36.0

6. NBC Monday Night Movie ( "With Six You Get Egg - roll") 24.5 37.0

7. Maude (CBS) 23.9 38.0

8. Mary Ty/er Moore (CBS) 23.5 39.0

9. Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC) 23.2 39.0

10. lronside (NBC) 22.9 35.0

11. Adam -12 (NBC) 22.0 36.0

 12.NBC Saturday Movie ( "The Thomas Crown Affair ") 22.0 38.0

13. Cannon (CBS) 22.0 38.0

14. Sanford & Son (NBC) 21.9 38.0

15. Medical Center (CBS) 21.7 32.0

Rating spread of next 15 shows in listing went from low 20's to high I 8's:

16. NBC Sunday Mystery Movie ( "McMillan and Wife ")

17. NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie ( "Madigan')

18. CBS Thursday Movie ( "The Professionals")

19. ABC Sunday Movie ( "The Out of Towners ")

20. Bob Newhart (CBS)

21. Lucy Show (CBS)

22. Mannix (CBS)

23. Gunsmoke (CBS)

24. FBI (ABC)

25. CBS Tuesday Movie

26. Bold Ones (NBC)

27. NFL Football (ABC)

28. ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week

29. ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week

30. Mission: Impossible (CBS)

Next 10 shows in list had ratings point spread ranging downward from low 18's to 17:

31. Paul Lynde Show (ABC)

32. Search (NBC)

33. The Rookies (ABC)

34. Dick Van Dyke (CBS)

35. Carol Burnett (CBS)

36. The Partridge Family (ABC)

37. Temperatures Rising (ABC)

38. Laugh -in (NBC)

39. Little People (NBC)

40. Brady Bunch (ABC)

New shows falling below 40th position with general point spread in ratings between high 15's and mid -13's: CBS's M *A *S *H, Sandy Duncan Show, Bill Cosby Show and The Waltons; NBC's Ghost Story.

[Soapsuds]

@Paul Raven

 

[BetterForgotten]

MTM Enterprises did Betty and Georgia so WRONG on that show...