“Survivor” barely surviving

Ratings for CBS’s Survivor: Africa continued to fall Thursday
night, as the show averaged a comparatively weak 10.7 rating and a 17
share, losing out this time not only to NBC’s Friends, which drew
a 16.0/25 in the first half hour at 8:00 p.m. but also to the troubled
NBC sitcom Inside Schwartz, which managed 10.8/16 at 8:30 p.m.

CBS improved its fortunes at 9:00, however, with CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation drawing a 15.7/23 and beating NBC’s Will & Grace (10.8/16) and Just Shoot Me (9.3/14).

NBC regained the
upper hand at 10:00, however, as E.R. pulled the best numbers for
the night (and probably for the week), a 16.8/27.