And so go specialty channels.

The crtc has ‘postponed’ the vetting of 50 English-language applications for niche tv. Many are blessing the decision and, to a point, there is something to be said for leaving the licensing to another day. Since neither the questions around analog capacity nor digital distribution are answerable in the short term, there may be little use in half the world traipsing back to Hull, Que., to fight for the right to negotiate with cable.

Still though, there is cause for concern.

Although the applications on hold – some of which are sexy travel, health and documentary channels backed by partners the likes of National Geographic Channel and Atlantis Communications – may eventually come to fruition, time is a factor and the ‘what ifs’ shouldn’t be ignored.

Three orphaned channels from the last round of licensing remain without distribution but are armed with a directive from the commission that they be carried by September 1999. The theatrics have yet to take shape. Maybe, in the wake of the Headline Sports decision, there won’t be any.

But what if Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications find analog space for the remaining three Canadian channels and, lo, (paying attention to the tiering and linkage rules) space for another three American services from the Eligible Services Lists?

And what if those services are themed the same as some of those 50 English-language applications that have just been shelved for the foreseeable future? Then there goes another window for Canadian companies – those that create jobs, pay tax dollars, contribute to the Canadian production industry – in favor of American channels that do little if anything of the kind.

In its submission to the crtc for the Canadian Television Policy Review next month, Global is suggesting triggering a ‘sunset clause’ for the Eligible Services Lists, which would effectively prevent cable from adding more American services to the dial.

The implications for trade difficulties are self-evident, but if the Canadian applications are ground to a halt then there should de facto be some mechanism in the works that stymies distributors from filling any analog space with eligible American services over these years between analog and digital.

Looking at tv today, it’s puzzling that something of this ilk is necessary.

a&e still rests near the top of the ratings chart, but u.s. services like bet, Golf Channel and Speedvision are near the bottom. tsn, Teletoon, ytv, Bravo!, Showcase and Space: The Imagination Station are the bulk of the top 10 because it’s about the producing, purchasing and packaging of programming. Evidently, we’re as capable of that as the Yanks.

Still, cable has been traditionally difficult to convince that Canadian services are as attractive as the Americans. The Headline Sports decision may help.

For the first time in more than four years, the commission has put the kibosh on a business deal. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a little arrangement, a mere piece of a single specialty denied to Shaw. But for all those questioning whether this new regulator is willing to interfere with the real world in pursuit of policy goals, this may be part of the answer. (We’re not sure whether the Rogers announcement that it is picking up Chum’s MuchMoreMusic for distribution is an olive branch or just a delicious coincidence, but either way it’s enjoyable.)

Looking ahead to a structure for a next licensing round, it’s worth noting how irritating it is that u.s. Superstation wtbs is in third spot overall on the ratings metres. a&e’s quality speaks for itself and is imported for justifiable reasons, but any half-wit can package old movies and syndicated series. A Canadian company would have to wrap it around some Canadian programming, but at least the money would stay here. If this kind of channel is a necessary part of the tv mix and it sells, fine. But the postponement of the next specialty licensing session ideally won’t mean another lost opportunity to put some such service – or any specialty channel – in the hands of a Canadian owner.