– CBC launches online mag

The cbc has added Infoculture, an online arts and culture magazine, to its new media roster. Launching June 15, the Website (www.infoculture.ca) will feature headline arts news; an events, exhibitions and performances calendar; programming highlights; a searchable story archive; links to other arts and cultural Websites; and a bulletin board service.

Online editor Tessa Sproule says the site will be about 60% news and 40% features, and will also feature arts and entertainment-related audio and video interviews from CBC Radio and cbc tv shows On the Arts, Adrienne Clarkson Presents, the CBC Evening News, CBC Late Night News and Midday.

According to Bob Kerr, manager, new media, radio, cbc is spending approximately $100,000 on the site, which he says is ‘relatively inexpensive.’ It has two staff members, Sproule and Webmaster Jason Cliff. ‘The strength of the whole system,’ Kerr explains, ‘is that it draws on our network of existing arts and information resources around the cbc.’

The cbc’s new media division intends to sell ads on the site and is expecting some to appear when the site launches.

Mark Hyland, cbc’s director of business development, says Infoculture will be targetting many of the same clients that cbc television targets, as well as computer, software and telecommunication companies who, he adds, are ‘early adopters of Internet advertising.’ Hyland didn’t want to predict advertising revenue.

cbc first appeared on the Web in 1994 and has since launched CBC4kids.ca; the French Infoculture site (www.radio-canada.ca/infoculture); and is planning the fall launch of an integrated news site to include cbc, CBC Newsworld and CBC Radio.

– Pass the PEZ

Just as Seinfeld fans have completed their stages of grief, Jerry’s back with a special called Jerry Seinfeld Live: I’m Telling You for the Last Time. The two-hour show will be simulcast live on hbo in the u.s. and Canada’s TMN-The Movie Network on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 9 p.m. Global and Prime tv will rebroadcast the show sometime in December.

– Attention, armchair athletes

Sports enthusiasts will get their fair share this fall with several new programming deals.

CTV Sports Net has inked a three-year agreement with the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup to cover 32 Alpine ski races.

Regional service Sports Net will team with fellow ctv specialty Outdoor Life Network to broadcast the races, starting with the men’s and women’s technical races from Tignes, France, Oct. 24-25. Sports Net will slot the Alpine events in weekend afternoon spots while oln will broadcast the races on Sunday nights along with a newsmagazine of ski-racing highlights.

The races will be presented in partnership with Halva Management of Milan, which manages television rights for the Alpine Ski World Cup.

‘There are 6.5 million skiers in Canada – one of the largest participation bases for any sport,’ notes Halva’s Canadian marketing rep Bill Webster. ‘These specialty television channels will reach the targeted audience previously only available through print mediums.’

Sports Net launches in October.

The cbc has signed a one-year agreement with tsn, with the first option on four more years, for its 46th consecutive year of the Grey Cup Championship. The cbc also has the conventional tv rights to the regular cfl season (11 games), the playoffs and the championship on Saturday, Nov. 22. tsn has a five-year contract with the cfl for all television rights. Mike Brannagan is executive producer of The CFL on CBC, which begins Monday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. (est).

The cbc also announced at its fall launch that it will have 40 Blue Jays baseball games and the Commonwealth Games on Sept. 11-21. Hockey Night in Canada will remain a staple on Saturdays, with a 6:30 p.m. pregame show, and the NHL All-Star Game will air on Sunday, Jan. 22.

– TVO notes

July 7 will mark Imprint’s return to its regular Tuesday 10 p.m. slot on tvontario, after being replaced by about one and a half months of special event programming – a ballet series and the membership drive during the last half of June. Imprint’s 23 new episodes begin Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Ian Brown’s show The View From Here will air two Canadian docs in July. Vancouver filmmaker David Vaisbord’s one-hour doc Juicy Danger Meets Burning Man, the story about The Juicy Danger Man festival and two of its participants, will air Wednesday, July 8 at 10 p.m. (est), repeated Sunday, July 12.

The Genie- and Hot Docs-nominated one-hour doc Shooting Indians: A Journey with Jeffrey Thomas, a Peripheral Visions Film & Video production written, produced and directed by filmmaker Ali Kazimi, will air on Wednesday, July 15, repeated on Sunday, July 19.

– Cable ratings high

Sports and murder mysteries are attracting the highest numbers yet for two Canadian cable channels.

TSN is boasting its ‘best-ever’ cable share in the company’s 14-year history. It earned a 6.4 (male, 18+) cable share for the May 1997 to April 1998 period, based on the Nielsen People Meters. This is a 6.7% increase from the preceding 12-month period, despite competition from the new specialty channels’ launch last fall and the Olympic Winter Games in February.

tsn is attributing the increase to the Major League Baseball Playoffs; the World Series, which averaged 685,000 viewers; curling, golf and auto racing events; and Sportsdesk.

On Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31 at 10 p.m., Showcase Television’s North American premiere of The Scold’s Bridle, a two-part British murder mystery, drew an average of 257,000 viewers (AC Nielsen overnights, viewers 2+), which, according to the specialty net, is a new audience record for Minette Walters miniseries on Showcase. The program stars Miranda Richardson (Crying Game), Beth Winslet (Kate’s sister) and Trudie Styler (Sting’s wife). Last season, Showcase broadcasts of Minette Walters’ The Sculptress and The Ice House attracted 182,000 and 141,000 viewers, respectively.