THE RATING IS THE HARDEST PART: NBA ALL-STAR HITS 11.7

     The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday drew a final rating of 11.7
and a 20 share, up 9% from last year's 10.7/17, according to
Nielsen numbers released by NBC Sports.  The game was estimated
to have been seen by more than 35 million viewers, making it the
second most-watched NBA All-Star Game of all time.  It is the
highest rated All-Star game since the '93 overtime contest drew a
14.3, which still stands as the most watched.  TNT's All-Star
Saturday coverage drew a 5.1 rating, drawing over 3.4 million
viewers.  The viewer total is a record for TNT's coverage of All-
Star Saturday (Prentis Rogers, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/14).