News Ratings Climb With Riot Coverage : Television: May sweeps figures show a dramatic jump in local news viewership. KABC-TV leads the pack in all five news time periods.

TV news ratings soared as the L.A. riot and its aftermath played out on television this month, and KABC-TV Channel 7 flew highest of all, according to figures for the May sweeps released Thursday by the A.C. Nielsen Co.

In recent years, the sweeps races have hinged on which station could hang on to the most loyal viewers as cable, VCRs and other entertainment alternatives cut wide swaths into the news ratings at most local stations. But this month, thanks to the dramatic local events, the battle was to see which station could attract more of the hordes of new viewers turning to TV for information.

The ratings for 11 p.m. newscasts on the three network-owned stations surged a combined 41%--or an average of about 350,000 homes each night--over last May. The combined audience for the 6 p.m. newscasts on these same stations climbed 40%, or about 285,000 households.

The four independents also benefited: The combined audience for their four 10 p.m. newscasts leaped nearly 40%. Ratings for KCAL-TV Channel 9’s three-hour news block in prime time jumped nearly 120% over a year ago, as measured by the rival Arbitron ratings service.

But KABC was the station that people tuned in to most during the four-week period. The station was so dominant that it won each of five news time periods--from early morning to late at night--by a minimum of one full rating point and an average of nearly 100,000 households, according to both ratings services.

Nielsen ratings for KABC’s 11 p.m. newscast, which had trailed KNBC-TV Channel 4 by about 125,000 homes last May, nearly doubled to overtake KNBC, even though it also increased. KCBS-TV Channel 2 showed a 47% increase of its own at 11 p.m. over last year, but nonetheless found itself farther behind than before.

KABC’s numbers in the early morning were even more startling. Ratings for the 6 to 7 a.m. program nearly tripled the station’s norm, jumping past KNBC, which had dominated the time period since launching L.A.’s first early-morning newscast several years ago.

But Barbara Tenney, KNBC’s research manager, said Thursday that KABC’s final rating for the early morning newscast was unusually high because it included extended coverage well into the morning on the first two days of the riot. Measuring just the 6 to 7 a.m. time period, she said, KNBC actually won the time period with a 5.1 rating compared to KABC’s 4.0 (each point represents 48,751 homes).

KABC also drew the most viewers for its 4, 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts, but Tenney again cautioned that none of the ratings totals or margins of victory were “entirely pure” because all of the stations were able to include extended and heavily watched riot coverage in the totals for their early and late newscasts.

KNBC saw its ratings grow in every afternoon and evening news time period, but the station still lost ground to both KABC and KCBS. Before this month, KNBC had not lost the battle at 11 p.m. for many years, and it fell even though NBC, its parent network, won the prime-time race nationally. KNBC, which is reportedly attempting to stem its decline by stealing away KABC anchor Paul Moyer, slipped into third behind KCBS at 6 p.m. KNBC was second, KCBS third in all oter time periods.

KTLA also profited from the keen attention to local problems as the “KTLA Morning News,” less than a year old, upset all three New York-based network morning shows. KTLA’s 7 to 9 a.m. show was seen in an average of about 220,000 homes each morning. By contrast, KNBC’s “Today” show attracted 195,000 homes, KABC’s “Good Morning America” got 170,000 and KCBS’ “This Morning” drew 88,000.

As usual, KTLA won the 10 p.m. news battle, with KTTV Channel 11 second, KCAL third and KCOP Channel 13 fourth, according to Nielsen. In Arbitron, KCAL was second and KTTV third.

Because of the heavy demand for news, KTLA’s usually strong early evening entertainment block suffered, as shows like “Hunter” at 6 p.m. and “Cheers” at 7 p.m. did not perform up to par, according to Nielsen. “Hunter” did manage to win its time slot in Arbitron, tying with KABC’s combination of local and network news and beating everyone else, including news on KNBC and KCBS.

ABC’s “Nightline,” which often focused on the troubles in Los Angeles during the month, scored huge gains too, leaping from an average nightly audience of 175,000 homes a year ago to 292,000 this month.

Still, Ted Koppel and company could not beat Johnny Carson and “The Tonight Show” on KNBC. With the king of late night celebrating his final month on the air, KNBC’s ratings were up 33% over a year ago, grabbing an average of 365,000 homes a night. “The Arsenio Hall Show” on KCOP managed less than half that, and “The Dennis Miller Show” on KTLA claimed only one-third of Carson’s crowd.

In the prime-time arena, NBC was the only network to lose ground from a year ago, but it nonetheless squeaked out its eighth consecutive May sweeps victory by one-tenth of a rating point, or about 92,000 homes nationwide, according to Arbitron. CBS was second and ABC was third, just four-tenths of a point out of first. Ratings for Fox grew 20% from one year earlier, but the network still averaged about 4 million households a night fewer than NBC.

In other highs and lows of the May sweeps--one of three major ratings periods that help local stations determine advertising rates:

* “The Oprah Winfrey Show” continued to conquer all talkers, scoring a 9.9 rating on KABC at 3 p.m., more than double the audience for “Donahue” on KNBC and nearly fives times the mark of “The Maury Povich Show” on KCBS. “Geraldo,” on KCBS at 4 p.m., scored a 5.1 rating, besting that of “Donahue” and “Povich” and “The Montel Williams” show on KCOP, but falling short of “Sally Jessy Raphael’s” 6.0 at 2 p.m. on KCAL.

* “Wheel of Fortune” on KCBS again won the 7 p.m. time period over the reruns of KTTV’s “Married . . . With Children.” “Inside Edition” on KABC finished a close third, KNBC’s “Entertainment Tonight” slipped to fourth, “Star Trek” on KCOP was fifth, “Love Connection” on KCAL was sixth and KTLA’s “Cheers,” a longtime ratings champ in reruns late at night, came in last.

* KCBS’ “Jeopardy!” took the 7:30 p.m. slot over KNBC’s “Hard Copy,” KTTV’s “A Current Affair, “KTLA’s “Full House,” KCOP’s “Star Trek,” KABC’s “Candid Camera” and KCAL’s “The Golden Girls.”

* Spanish-language viewers flocked to news on KMEX Channel 34 at 6 p.m., which drew 67% of the Spanish-language audience at that time, compared to KVEA Channel 52’s 37%. KMEX’s news total was up 53% over a year ago, and the station saw its ratings climb 47% over the entire day.