Perot Infomercials Win Strong Ratings

Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot’s infomercials broadcast Friday and Saturday drew larger audiences than several entertainment television programs.

On Friday, Perot’s half-hour infomercial on NBC, which began at 10:30 p.m. on the East and West coasts, drew a 9 rating and 18% of the total television audience, according to figures released Monday by the A.C. Nielsen Co.

With each rating point being equivalent to 931,000 households, that means about 8.3 million households tuned in.

Perot’s infomercial was the second-most watched program during its time slot, trailing ABC’s news magazine “20/20,” which had a 15.5, but ahead of CBS’ drama, “Picket Fences,” which had an 8.3.

An hourlong Perot infomercial broadcast Saturday on ABC had an 8.2 rating in the 25 major metropolitan areas where figures were available. A national rating is scheduled to be announced today.

Perot has three infomercials scheduled for this week, Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC, Friday at 8 p.m. on NBC and Saturday on CBS. The CBS ad will air at 8:00 p.m. unless the World Series goes to a sixth game, in which case the ad will air after the game.