These 23 new licensees mean murky days for all, including producers.

With the exception of the fab four destined for analog – teletoon, The Comedy Network, The History & Entertainment Network and N1 Headline News – all in start-up mode with some idea of what programming they’re in search of and their independent production needs, everyone else is pretty much in limbo until the cable companies come up with a tangible plan.

What follows is an outline of all the licensees, including detailed information on the four guaranteed a Sept. 1 start-up.

For the 13 English-language services granted a licence to negotiate with cable, projected spending on Canadian programming and independent production is on paper, but with the caveat that the numbers are written in sand until a subscriber base and a launch date nailed down.

N1 Headline News

CTV is looking at its existing operations in the context of its three new licences and developing strategies to facilitate the greatest operating efficiencies. Hiring processes are scheduled to start in two months. Eric Morrison, vp news for ctv, is the executive handling the channel. Bob Hurst, head of service and one of N1’s key pitchers, will also play a role, as will ctv chief news editor Henry Kowalski.

The 24-hour Canadian English-language headline news service will provide continuous news, weather, sports, business, regional and lifestyle information presented at uniform times on a 15-minute wheel rotation beginning with 30 seconds of Canadian and world headlines followed by two news blocks of four and four-and-a-half minutes each.

The service is 100% Canadian content.

Over the seven-year term, N1 is spending more than $39 million on Canadian news programming, with $4.7 million of that going to the independent sector. Of that $4.7 million, $616,000 has been allocated for the first year.

Resumes wanted for the at least 46 new jobs created by N1 include reporters, writers, directors, production and unit managers, researchers, archivists, field camera and sound technicians, and video

and non-linear editing technicians.

It’s unclear how many of each will be necessary until a packaging plan is arranged with the cablecos, says Morrison.

Bureaus in Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver will be hiring new correspondents as well as more field crews. ctv and Television Northern Canada are working towards an agreement which will expand ctv’s coverage of Northern Canada, and the licence decision takes note of ctv’s plan to open new foreign bureaus in Tokyo and Mexico City.

Internet sites are also in the works, including ‘Light House’ and ‘SchoolSite’ initiatives.

Program supply on N1 will in part come from an exclusive contract in place with ABC News for the supply of television pictures. When abc launches its all-news service, ctv will be its Canadian supplier.

ctv has a partnership agreement in place with tva, Montreal, which commits to a sharing of news materials at no cost to either party, the establishment of a video pipeline to facilitate news exchange, and the possibility of joint marketing, promotion and advertising initiatives.

Viewer repatriation expectations are focused on cnn and CNN Headline News.

N1 will be supported with $1 million worth of promotion on ctv, over $2.5 million in programming exposure on ctv and an additional $1.3 million in paid advertising, a cumulative $4.8 million first-year launch strategy.

Marketing plans, in addition to cable negotiations, are the focus right now, says Morrison.