Regis Saves the Day With Philbin and his would-be millionaires, ABC wins the 1999-2000 ratings game. by TOM SHALES There's no truth to the rumor that ABC is changing its name to RPBC, for "Regis Philbin Broadcasting Company." In fact it isn't even a rumor. There isn't even a rumor that it's a rumor. I made it up. But the fact is, Philbin and Who Wants To Be a Millionaire won the season for ABC. The 1999-2000 season has just officially ended. ABC came in first -- followed by NBC and CBS in a dead heat for second place. ABC has no sitcoms that get ratings as high as NBC's Frasier or Friends nor dramas that get ratings as high as NBC's ER or CBS's Touched by an Angel. But it does have the quiz-show sensation that's swept the nation. And with Philbin and his would-be millionaires as a lead-in, many other ABC shows saw their ratings rise. Unfortunately, Millionaire could not come to the rescue of ABC's fine drama-comedy series, Sports Night, which the network has coldly canceled. The good news, at least for viewers who subscribe to HBO, is that the pay-cable network has been in serious talks to pick up Sports Night and bring it back from the dead. Millionaire was the only new "breakout" hit of any network in prime time this season (technically it premiered last summer, but for a limited test run). As further proof of its potency, Millionaire was not just the top-rated show of the year, it was the top three shows of the year, taking first, second, and third places for, respectively, its Tuesday-, Thursday-, and Sunday-night editions. ER came in fourth, followed by NBC's long-running sitcom Friends. CBS had not one single entertainment show in the Top Ten. The only CBS show in that select group was the CBS News production and great American television institution, 60 Minutes. For 60 Minutes, it was another outstanding year -- in fact, the 23rd-consecutive year that the program has finished in the Top Ten. That is a prime-time record. Not even I Love Lucy or Gunsmoke or The Cosby Show or other TV giants come close. Here is a clear-cut, heartening case of quality programming that draws a huge audience. 60 Minutes also easily survived a motion picture, The Insider, that grippingly documented a low point in the show's history, the time CBS management forced it to capitulate to a big cigarette company and postpone a report on Big Tobacco. The film, directed by Michael Mann, was powerful -- but not at the box office. Although 60 Minutes founder and producer Don Hewitt and star correspondent Mike Wallace blasted the film in advance -- thus giving it what would seem invaluable free publicity -- the public stayed away. Way away. The Insider -- which stars Russell Crowe, now on big screens in the hit film Gladiator -- is available on home video, and you owe it to yourself to see it. In no way does it diminish the fact that 60 Minutes is one of the greatest and most vital broadcasts in the history of television, something upon which even the spirit of venerated CBS News pioneer Edward R. Murrow could look down upon with pride. He would turn off each week's episode, however, just before Andy Rooney came on with his now-antiquated commentaries. For the record, CBS did have one entertainment series miss the Top Ten by a hair: Touched by an Angel, the Sunday-night heartwarmer, finished in 11th place. Touched by an Angel by no coincidence immediately follows 60 Minutes. And Angel would have finished in the Top Ten if not for Millionaire hogging three spots. All the networks made much ballyhoo over "season finales" of their shows in May -- apparently hoping viewers will turn off their TV sets until the fall. But a herd of new cable shows is at the starting gate and ready to go. As for Regis Philbin, for heaven's sake send that man on a nice, long, relaxing vacation. He didn't just save ABC. He helped reinvigorate the whole broadcast-network business. He's worth his weight in gold. Heck, he's even worth my weight in gold. Tom Shales writes about television for the Washington Post Writers Group.