Round 1

"Winning team at the Miami marathon," bragged NBC. "Audiences turned their attention to the CBS News team," proclaimed CBS. In the aftermath of the Democratic National Convention, each network announced that it had won the ratings game and quoted conflicting figures to prove it. Last week the A.C. Nielsen Co., which conducts the most reliable survey, confirmed NBC's claim. According to Nielsen, NBC drew an average 25% of the national viewing audience for the convention's four nights, compared with 23% for CBS and 16% for ABC (which came on the air from Miami Beach only in midevening, after devoting the earlier hours to entertainment).

Yet none of the network's news teams were the real winners. At hours when NBC and CBS were broadcasting the convention, ABC was cornering a greater share of the audience than either with reruns of series like Marcus Welby (38%) and Mod Squad (30%). Even a feeble sitcom like The Super attracted 27%. Network coverage of the Republican Convention later this month will once again be furiously competitive. But public taste being what it is, Round 2, like Round 1, will be a battle only for the runner-up positions.

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