Sailors staring wildly (7)
I believe the answer is:
ratings
'sailors' is the definition.
(British term for naval enlisted men)
'staring wildly' is the wordplay.
'wildly' is an anagram indicator.
'staring' anagrammed gives 'RATINGS'.
(Other definitions for ratings that I've seen before include "Staring at classifications" , "Information about people watching" , "chased by TV companies?" , "TV producers often chase" , "Appraisals of the value of" .)