TX The second O.J. Simpson verdict and President Clinton's State of the Union address disrupted national syndication ratings the first full week of the February sweep, ending Feb. 9.
Some shows dropped the day of the Simpson-Clinton doubleheader (Feb. 4) from the weekly average because of low coverage. Of the magazines, Paramount Domestic TV's "Hard Copy" averaged all five days and was the only mag to gain ground for the week. All mags were off from the same week last year, according to Nielsen.
"Hard Copy" inched up 2% to a 4.5 and was 4% over its metered-market lead-in, despite a 13% drop year-to-year. Par's "Entertainment Tonight" slipped 6% to a first-place 6.8 and was off 6% from last year. "Inside Edition" was flat at 5.1, off 18% from last year. Warner Bros.' "Extra" slipped 8% to 3.5 and was down 14% from its year-ago mark. King World's "American Journal" dipped 3% to 3.3, off 18% from last year.
'Home' improves
Off-net sitcoms were similarly low. Only two improved: Buena Vista TV's "Home Improvement," which rose 1% for the week and 5% from last year to 10.6, and Twentieth TV's "The Simpsons," which grew 3% for the week and 11% from last year to 7.1. Columbia TriStar TV Distribution's "Seinfeld" dipped down 6% to 8.3, but still managed a 5% increase over last year. CTTD's new "Mad About You" was flat at 5.0, while Warner Bros.' new "Martin" fell 3% to 3.2 and "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" was flat at 2.1.
At the top of the whole chart, King World's "Wheel of Fortune" fell 5% to 12.4, off 8% year-to-year. "Jeopardy!" dropped 4% to 10.4, off 5% from last year.
Talkers changed very little from the prior week. Warner Bros.' "Jenny Jones" was the only one to hit a new season high, growing 4% to 4.7, which was 4% ahead of last year. Two other talkers jumped from their year-ago ratings: Par's "Montel Williams," which gained 4% for the week and over last year's mark to 5.1, and Universal's "Sally Jessy Raphael," which fell 4% for the week, but was up 13% from last year to a 4.5.
'Elliott's' fall continues
Twentieth TV's "Gordon Elliott," which goes on production hiatus at the end of the month, had the worst declines for both the week and from last year. It fell 6% for the week to 1.5, off a full 32% from last year. King World's "Oprah" remained atop the talk pack, despite falling 3% to 8.4 and losing 6% from last year. Warner Bros.' "Rosie O'Donnell" was second, gaining 2% to 5.3.
It was a lackluster week for new strips. Par's "Real TV" led the season's new firstruns, holding steady at 3.3. Twentieth TV's "Access Hollywood" fell 6% to 3.0. Worldvision's "Judge Judy" dropped 14% to 1.9, but was the only new firstrun to jump from its metered-market lead-in, rising 5%. Warner Bros.' "In Person With Maureen O'Boyle" was flat at 1.7. CTTD's "Dating/Newlywed Hour" fell 6% to 1.6. Tribune's "Bzzz!" grew 8% to 1.3, and Rysher's "Strange Universe" was flat at 1.2.
'Hercules,' 'Xena' rise
Led by Universal's "Journeys of Hercules," most weeklies excelled. "Hercules" jumped up 25% to 6.4, off just 2% from last year. Right behind was Universal's "Xena," which gained 3% to 6.3 and was up 11% from last year. Both shows matched season highs. In third place, Par's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," which was reprocessed the prior two weeks, added 3% over its rating three weeks ago to a 6.2.
All American's "Baywatch" increased 23% to a 4.8 and tied its season high, despite slipping 8% from last year. Rysher's "FX ... The Series" led the frosh weeklies after rising 14% to 3.3. All American's "Sinbad" was a close second after powering 19% to a 3.2.
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