Seven's side.

In a recent nationwide tally of ABC affiliates, KATV-TV, Channel 7, had three newscasts ranked among the most-watched in the country, according to the most recent television ratings by Nielsen Media Research of New York.

Broken down solely by household rating from the November book, KATV ranks No. 1 among ABC affiliates in 5 p.m. newscasts, No. 2 at 6 p.m. and No. 6 at 10 p.m.

"Not bad for a little old station from Little Rock," Dale Nicholson, general manager at KATV, said by e-mail. "We are working hard to get all three in the top five of all of ABC's top 100 markets."

The research was compiled by Continental Television Sales of New York, which is an independent marketing and research firm that represents the national sales needs of medium and smaller market stations.

KATV has had a steady stronghold at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the Little Rock market, which translated into a No. 1 and No. 2 ranking at those respective time slots nationally.

Channel 7, which had a 15.5 rating at 6 p.m., trails only WNEP-TV, Channel 16, in the always strong Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pa., metro area, which recorded a huge 21.5 rating.

KATV's 13.6 rating at 6 p.m. edged out KSAT-TV, Channel 12, of San Antonio, which drew a 13 rating.

At 10 p.m., KATV finished sixth with an 11 rating behind ABC affiliates in the San Antonio, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Mo., and Shreveport markets.

Though KTHV-TV, Channel 11, didn't have a similar comparison to CBS affiliates following the November book, it's worth pointing out that the station did nip KATV at 10 p.m., with Channel 11 holding an 11.5 rating and a 24.9 share and Channel 7 registering an 11 rating and 24.8 share. KARK-TV, Channel 4, pulled in a 6.7 rating and a 14.8 share.