DID NBC'S PRIME-TIME SKATING EVENT SUFFER FROM BLADE-JA-VU?

     In New York, Richard Sandomir comments on NBC's prime time
figure skating telecast last Saturday.  The IMG-produced event
"operated in its own little vacuum" and made  no mention of the
facts that "five of the six skaters had competed on CBS' two-
night 'Ice Wars' the week before, or that Kristi Yamaguchi and
several other skaters repeated some CBS routines on NBC."  IMG VP
Yuki Saegusa defended Yamaguchi, an IMG client: "It's impossible
for skaters to come up with new programs every week.  She wasn't
going to repeat that routine, but she got such great feedback
from it is 'Ice Wars' that she added it at the last minute."  But
Sandomir points out that "these shows are not one-night stands in
arenas in different cities; they are seen by much of the same
viewer pool, which deserves something new in so short a time
span."  NBC lost the 8-9pm time slot to CBS' "Dr. Quinn, Medicine
Woman" -- but won 10-11pm.  Overall, the show posted a 10.5
overnight (N.Y. TIMES, 11/22).