Bears Also a Smash in Ratings

NEW YORK —  Super Bowl XX was a smash hit with the nation’s television viewers Sunday, the A.C. Nielsen ratings showed today, despite the Chicago Bears’ crushing 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots. And that was a pleasant surprise to NBC.

“There are so many characters on this team,” Kevin Monahan, an NBC spokesman, said of the winners. “This fascination with the Bears helped” keep America tuned in, he said. In the Nielsen overnight ratings of 12 cities, the Super Bowl had a 46.8 rating and 70 share--meaning 70% of all sets turned on during the game were tuned in to NBC.