TV RATINGS

Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan can’t compare TV ratings points in assessing their respective political clout. Their prime-time news specials--NBC News’ “A Conversation with Mikhail S. Gorbachev” and the half-hour, four-network interview with Reagan--weren’t included in the ratings because they weren’t sponsored. The two-hour “America’s Future--A Presidential Debate,” was sponsored, but ranked an unspectacular 58th out of 70 prime-time programs. ABC’s “The Jennings-Koppel Report” on the Reagan-Gorbachev summit meeting ranked 67th with a 6.4 rating. “The Cosby Show,” however, has bounced back to the No. 1 slot following its Thanksgiving Day drop to 12th place. Weekly network averages: NBC, 15.3 rating/25 share; CBS, 13.0/21; ABC, 12.8/21. Evening news ratings: CBS 12.0, ABC 11.0, NBC 11.0. (One Nielsen point equals 886,000 homes; “share” refers to the percentage of households watching a particular program.) The complete Nielsens appear on Page 9.

* The CBS documentary “Children of Apartheid” failed to arouse much interest among network TV audiences. The program netted a 5.2 rating, the second-lowest rated show of the week.

SHOW POINTS SHARE WEEK 1. The Cosby Show 24.9 38 12/6 (NBC) 18.6 37 11/29 2. A Different World 24.9 38 12/6 (NBC) ---- -- 11/29 3. Golden Girls 23.7 41 12/6 (NBC) 22.9 39 11/29 4. Cheers 23.5 36 12/6 (NBC) 19.5 36 11/29 5. Growing Pains 22.5 34 12/6 (ABC) 20.7 31 11/29 * Children of Apartheid 5.2 9 12/6 (CBS News) (special) ---- -- 11/29