The Craig Broadcasting Systems’ Category 1 application for Festival, described as an independent film channel – and one of several digital specialty apps positioned along those lines – comes as an extension of its business, according to Sandi McDonald, executive vp of corporate development for Craig.

Craig has three (100% owned) Category 1 applications before the crtc and is involved in 16 Category 2

‘There were a number of criteria that we used to determine [what to apply for],’ says McDonald. ‘We wanted to reflect our strengths and the areas in which we lead with core strength in sales and where we have contacts and relationships in the production community. We whittled those to where a market gap and a Craig set of expertise matched.

‘The independent film channel was certainly a natural offshoot of the movie format we do at A Channel in Alberta and Manitoba. Movies are a core part of our programming schedule. Independent film focuses on a specific kind of film, but it’s still a movie genre. We’ve partnered with Lions Gate, which has a great library of films we could access. We know how few great independent films make it onto the air.’

The second of Craig’s Category 1 applications, Connect, is aimed at teens. Composed of drama, hosted and interactive programming, the channel is aimed at the 12-to-24 demographic, which McDonald says constitutes an unsatisfied market.

‘There’s not a lot of teen programming. Teens watch adult programming like er and The X-Files because there’s nothing aimed at them. So there’s a production gap in the market too. There are very few shows about kids going to school and the ones [that exist] are getting watched.’

Connect is set to keep tabs on its target audience in an unusual manner: a council of 10 to 20 young people aged 12 to 24 from across Canada and around the world will have regular meetings linked by webcast to make programming recommendations.

‘[Council members] will get to tell us what they as individuals like. In some cases, they will be creating programming initiatives.’

The Internet is to be an integral part of the application: ‘Kids are multi-tasking but watching slightly less tv,’ notes McDonald. This realization is driving the use of the accompanying website as a means of ‘repatriating’ the audience; that is, driving one set of users to the other medium.

The third Category 1 application, The Met, is an all-music channel that seeks to fit into a niche not covered by existing stations. There are four radio formats, executive producer John Donnelly reasons, and three of them are covered off on tv by way of MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic and cmt. The missing format? Rock.

‘If you watch Much you have to get through rap and Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys before getting to Korn. We’re not competing with Much, we’re complementary with it.’

Donnelly is also keen for a greater spread of geographical interest, saying, ‘You can’t deny that the bulk of what’s going on [at MuchMusic] is Toronto-centric,’ and adding power has been concentrated in too few hands for too long. ‘If you’re a young band and you can’t get MuchMusic to play your video there’s nowhere else to go.’

All applications have been the subject of interventions. Connect, McDonald says, is not a threat to any existing channel as it does not target existing channels’ audiences. ‘We’re not directly competing with any existing services.’

The Family Channel, filer of one intervention, thinks otherwise, but McDonald is dismissive. ‘Family’s target market includes 12- to 17-year-olds and also children and their parents. And Family’s content is 60% from Disney; almost none of our content will come from Disney.

‘It was clear that there couldn’t be direct competition; what’s unclear is what the definition of directly competitive is,’ says McDonald.

The Met application came under fire from CHUM Ltd. Says Donnelly: ‘They felt that our application would be in direct competition with Much because MuchMusic plays a fair amount of rock, and we say MuchMusic plays like a chr (current hit rock) station and lots of hybrid – whatever’s a hit today. There’s some rock, some pop, some urban, and our focus is going to be on rock – 100% rock.

-www.a-channel.com/themet/ connect/festival/

-www.crtc.gc.ca