CBS Is 'King' Wednesday

[Brian Damage]

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006

"The King of Queens" returned to decent ratings Wednesday, combining with repeats of crime dramas to lead CBS to a Nielsen win.

CBS averaged an 8.0 rating/13 share for the evening, winning by a comfortable margin over NBC, 5.5/9. ABC and FOX tied for third at 4.3/7, while The CW came in at 3.5/6.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, CBS' 3.7 rating led the way. NBC finished second at 3.2, and The CW, thanks to the finale of "America's Next Top Model," took third at 2.4. ABC averaged 2.1 and FOX 2.0.

"The King of Queens" opened its ninth season with two episodes on CBS, averaging 6.5/11 for the 8 p.m. hour. ABC's "Show Me the Money" came in second with a 4.9/8. "The Biggest Loser" was third for NBC at 4.6/7, topping a "Bones" rerun on FOX. The "Top Model" finale registered a 4.2/7 for The CW.

CBS increased its lead at 9 p.m. as a "Criminal Minds" rerun drew a 9.2/15. A second hour of "The Biggest Loser" improved to 6.2/10 for NBC, while FOX grabbed third with a second episode of "Bones," 4.2/7. "Day Break" posted a 3.2/5 for ABC, beating out The CW's "One Tree Hill."

A "CSI: NY" repeat earned an 8.3/14 at 10 p.m. to complete CBS' sweep of the night. "Medium" scored a 5.9/10 for NBC, and ABC's "Primetime" averaged 4.6/8.