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Fox's victory lap

Fox executives rejoiced yesterday over word of the network's first-ever sweeps-month victory.

The mood, however, wasn't as jubilant at NBC.

The once mighty Peacock network made its first-ever fourth-place finish over the same sweeps period, Associated Press reports.

Sweeps are held three times each year (November, February and May), when ratings are monitored closely to set local advertising rates.

Network rankings are set even though the current sweeps period runs through today. Fox also will win among the coveted 18-to-49-year-old age demographic that advertisers pay a premium to reach.

However, Fox's first sweeps-month win (since the network began prime-time broadcasting in 1987) should be kept in perspective. Remove the Super Bowl from the equation, and the network would finish third, behind CBS and ABC, A.C. Nielsen said.

Still, a win is a win -- helped, in this case, by not only the Super Bowl, but by the continuing power of "American Idol" and the development of a promising new drama, "House."

Fourth-place NBC, meanwhile, has struggled particularly on Thursdays, a night it once ruled. NBC's February viewership fell by 15 percent compared with the same period last year, Nielsen said. Last week, for instance, just two of the network's shows were ranked among Nielsen's 15 most-watched programs -- "ER" and "Law & Order," two dramas that are more than a decade old.

On the other hand, NBC's trio of network competitors each received boosts from special events. The Super Bowl helped Fox, the Grammys aided CBS, and Sunday's telecast of the Academy Awards (hosted by comedian Chris Rock) vaulted ABC.