'Winds of War' mini-series may set TV ratings record

February 8, 1983

''The Winds of War'' may turn out to be television's highest-rated mini-series ever, Monitor correspondent Arthur Unger reports. Based on overnight Nielsen ratings figures from six major US cities, Sunday's premiere of the 18-hour series, which runs through next Sunday, attracted 56 percent of all households that turned on their TV sets. ABC estimates some 80 million people watched some part of the episode. The current champion mini-series is ''Roots,'' which attracted some 135 million people over its entire run.