Smithsonian Networks Lists Its Starting Six TV Programs

Smithsonian Networks, a controversial joint enterprise of the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime Networks, has "Ed" on its side. Tom Cavanagh, known for his starring role on the old NBC series, will be featured in one of a preliminary slate of television programs that will be announced today.

The lineup offers just a taste of what is expected to be more than 40 programs in all. The network will debut this spring.

A signature series will be "Stories From the Vault," a 30-minute program hosted by Cavanagh. It will explore the artifacts and people that have made the Smithsonian one of the most recognized museums in the world; on one episode, a curator will examine a Stradivarius using a CT scan.

Another of the new shows is "The Hunt for the Double Eagle," about the extremely rare 1933 solid gold coin, of which only a handful are in existence.

Some of the Smithsonian shows will come from sources outside Showtime, including an exclusive co-production deal involving the Smithsonian and the British Broadcasting Co.

David Royle, executive vice president for programming and production of Smithsonian Networks, said the partnership with the BBC's "Timewatch," an award-winning history series, was "a real vote of confidence" for the fledgling network.

The programs will be shown on an entity called Smithsonian on Demand. Officials are still negotiating with cable carriers and satellite TV providers to make the programming available, but Royle said Showtime and Smithsonian officials are also considering a regular, 24-hour channel. "We have been encouraged to move to a linear channel, like Discovery and National Geographic," he said, and that might happen in the fall.

The partial lineup is the first glimpse into the programming direction of the Showtime deal, which was announced last March and greeted with sharp criticism from historians, researchers and politicians angered by the semi-exclusive agreement with a commercial network. Historians and filmmakers, in particular, were concerned that their access to Smithsonian experts and materials would be limited as a result of the contract. The Smithsonian released the 30-year contract to a congressional panel and a report from the Government Accountability Office last month concluded it had been executed in a competitive manner.

Showtime and the Smithsonian will create 130 hours of programming each year with a budget of at least $10 million. The Smithsonian has said that it reserves the right of approval on subject matter and style, and entered into the agreement to expose its holdings to the audiences that can't make it to Washington.

Other programs in the preliminary lineup include:

· "American Treasures," an examination of the treasures from the National Museum of American History.

· "Nature Tech," a three-part series on the way nature inspires scientists' inventions.

· "Critter Quest," a nature program aimed at children 5 to 12 years old.

· And "Cutting Loose," a film on Mardi Gras that won the best documentary category at the Sundance festival in 1996 but has never been seen on American television, according to the Smithsonian.