Katrina brings ‘Nightline’ top ratings

The disaster wrought on the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina sent TV news ratings soaring last week, and “Nightline” was no exception. ABC’s venerable news program beat its late-night entertainment competition for the first time since the week of March 17, 2003, when the war in Iraq began, according to figures released Friday by Nielsen Media Research.

With Ted Koppel and colleagues focusing on the devastation, “Nightline” averaged more than 5 million viewers per night -- 62% higher than for the same week one year earlier, ABC said.

NBC’s “Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” which was in reruns, averaged 4.5 million viewers, while CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman” averaged 3.6 million.