Vancouver: Cards are on the table for a new Vancouver broadcasting service, with Baton Broadcasting offering up a most generous application sweetener of $20 million per year on at least two primetime Canadian drama series, if it finds itself the chosen one. At least one of the series – both of which are guaranteed primetime slots Thursdays and Fridays – is guaranteed to go to b.c. producers.

The proverbial ‘last spike’ in the Canadian English-language market restructuring kicks into process Sept. 23, with Baton/ Electrohome, Craig Broadcast Systems, Rogers Broadcasting, CanWest Global and chum division Citytv vying for a signal in the Vancouver-Victoria area.

Among the common themes in the applications is an attack on kvos, the television station in border-town Bellingham, Washington, which some say earns $25 million in revenue from advertisers catering to the Vancouver market. Each of the proponents says its strategy will pull viewers away from the American signal.

How they do that depends on how they intend to reach the local audiences.

Baton

Along with the drama series commitment, Baton says it will also invest in a new 30-minute series called The Storytellers, airing Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., which is aimed at showcasing the work of new b.c.-based producers or those trying to move from service to domestic production. A 30-minute family drama series will be commissioned from western-based independent producers, at least 50% of whom will come from b.c.

Baton wants to invest $260,000 per year in children’s programming, including a 30-minute Vancouver-based series.

In news and information programming, Baton proposes a slate of new programming: Vancouver Beat, a 60-minute newscast weekdays at noon; This is Vancouver, a trio of programs running from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays – The Business of Vancouver, Vancouver Here & Now (which reaches into the multicultural communities with Mandarin, Cantonese and Punjabi reporters) and Vancouver Gallery, a grab-bag program of gallery openings, ceremonies and concerts; Vancouver Speaks Out, a weekly 1 p.m. talk show in the spirit of Jack Webster’s call-in programs; Youth Chronicles, a 30-minute show for young adults airing Saturdays at 6 p.m.; New Worlds, a program for new Canadians airing Saturdays at 6:30 p.m.; First Story, a program about First Nations airing Sundays at 11 a.m.; and Pacific Profiles, a 30-minute program about West Coast people airing Sundays at 11:30 a.m.

For variety programming, Baton expects to commission projects from independent producers for the one-hour talent showcase Applause. And one-hour documentaries will be funded for Sunday afternoon time slots.

Script development will get $200,000 per year.

Startup costs for Baton’s proposed civt-tv (Channel 42) are expected to be $5 million, while capital expenditures to outfit the station might run to $21 million.

First-year revenues, meanwhile, are pegged at $15 million. First profits are expected in year six, when Baton projects earnings of $800,000.

Craig

Winnipeg’s Craig is pitching a concept called ‘Very Independent’ programming with its vitv (Channel 32 in Vancouver, Channel 29 in Victoria).

Local news and information programming includes: Spectrum, a two-hour ethnocultural slot Sundays between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.; VI Chinese News/VI South Asian News, a newscast with Mandarin and Punjabi reporters at 6 p.m. weekdays; Sharing Circle, a weekly aboriginal affairs show; and Cross Currents, a half-hour weekly show dedicated to cross-cultural understanding.

Craig promises to spend $14 million on Vancouver-based drama production over seven years and invest $15.5 million on acquiring Canadian productions over the same period. Amid the 32 hours of local production is a variety show called Yaletown.

First-year revenues are projected to be $19 million, with earnings of $2.8 million emerging in year four.

Rogers

Rogers wants to extend the reach of its Toronto multilingual station cfmt with the launch of Vancouver multilingual station cfmv (no channel specified).

At the turn of the millennium, 40% of people in Vancouver will represent non-English groups, states the Rogers application. There are currently 2.3 million residents in Vancouver.

As part of its proposal, Rogers intends to acquire Talentvision, the local multilingual pay-television service owned by diversified entrepreneur Thomas Fung. Rogers will then provide the multilingual station over the air.

Proposed programming is less defined than other applications. Rogers offers ‘Prime Ethnic’ programming dedicated to Chinese and South Asian languages and ‘Ethnic Diversity’ programming that will try and address some of the 13 ethnocultural groups with more than 4,800 people.

So-called ‘associate’ producers will be hired to create programming for Germans, Filipinos, Italians, Japanese and Vietnamese. Rogers will acquire programming to serve the Greek, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Korean and Polish audiences.

‘Enhanced’ ethnic news and information programming will receive $828,000 over five years, while independent ethnic programming will get $725,000 over five years. Script development will get $15,000 per year.

First-year revenues are projected at $10 million, with earnings projected at $1.2 million in year five. Projected startup costs are $2.3 million, while capital investment is $11.6 million.

CanWest

Izzy Asper’s CanWest wants to establish a Victoria beachhead with vitv (Channel 21), which will service the Victoria, Vancouver and Nanaimo markets. A rebroadcasting station in Courtenay will extend coverage to Courtenay, Comox, Powell River and Campbell River. There are 650,000 residents on Vancouver Island.

Capital costs of the operation are $15 million. First-year revenues are projected to be $17 million, with earnings of $350,000 in year six. About $4.5 million in first-year revenues will be derived from CanWest’s Vancouver station u.tv, states the application.

Local programming will comprise: Island Morning, a ‘breezy’ live show airing weekdays 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.; Money Business, a 13-part series on personal finance; Capital Report, a 26-episode series covering the issues of the b.c. legislature; Earthwatch, a half-hour documentary series on the environment for primetime; and For Art’s Sake, a 13-part, half-hour arts and culture show for primetime.

Independent producers will contribute to Pacific X-Press, a music show, and Life Beat, a lifestyle show. Canadian programming spending starts at $7.1 million per year.

Citytv

Vtv (Channel 32) sounds a lot like Citytv, addressing ‘new urban needs’ and ‘new polyglot tastes.’

According to the City application, the Vancouver channel will feature 44.5 hours of local programming including 19.5 hours of news and eight hours of local music and dance programming. The channel will also support 10 hours of multilingual programming.

City will spend $74.5 million on Canadian programming over seven years.

That includes $5 million in prelicensing of Vancouver-based tv movies, $1 million for ‘high-risk’ script development, $14 million to other Canadian program producers, and $3 million for music and entertainment programming.

Capital investment is $13.6 million. First-year revenues are projected to be $22 million, with first earnings of $12,000 in year five.

Applications for the television licence were made public by the crtc late last month prior to the public hearing Sept. 23 in Vancouver.