ATTENTION POTENTIAL SPONSORS: CURLING'S HOT UP NORTH

     "New national sponsors, long-term increase" in TV coverage,
"provincial control of rights' fees -- it all seems to add up to
boom times for the elite curlers of Canada."  The Canadian Curling
Association (CCA) just recently signed a new 5-year rights deal
with St. Clair Investment Inc. of Toronto.  St. Clair is paying
the CCA C$300,000 a year for exclusive marketing rights to six of
Canada's seven major championships.  St. Clair has spent C$1.5M
for 150 hours of TV coverage on TSN and CBC.  TV ad time "is a
potential gold mine, especially if the NHL stays out of the
picture, but the CCA won't see any of that until St. Clair's
investment is covered and the CCA's percentage of net revenue goes
over the C$300,000 mark."  There is one sponsorship opening and
that's for the junior championships, where Pepsi, a sponsor for 37
years, has pulled out.  If no sponsor is found, the CCA will have
to bankroll the C$150,000 event (David Banks, Vancouver PROVINCE,
10/26).