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.

The Comedy Network

Busy pitching for a new broadcasting service in Vancouver, Baton execs have found time to launch Suzanne Steeves into the gm position at The Comedy Network.

Steeves, also senior vp/gm BBS Productions, is heading up the new service which will focus on sketch, stand-up and ‘more innovative forms of comedy.’ BBS Broadcasting System owns 65.1% of the property; Shaw Communications, 14.95%; Astral Broadcasting Group, 14.95%; and Les Films Rozon in Montreal, 5%.

Immediate hiring of ‘a few people’ in programming and marketing capacities is priority one. Steeves says the estimated eventual body count for running the service is 27 full-time and three part-time positions.

Best tip: ‘The best thing to do is forward pitches and bear with us for a couple of weeks,’ says Steeves. ‘The information we need is the idea, who the talent is, what commitments they have, the cost, how they anticipate fundingŠhmm, I think that’s about it.’

Once the English-language service is launched the possibility of creating a French-language comedy service based in Montreal will move up on the agenda.

Canadian content will account for 58% of the overall schedule, 72% in primetime. In year one over 600 hours of original Canadian programs will be broadcast. Initially, tcn will spend $5,975,000 a year and a minimum of 41% of the previous year’s gross revenues in the following years (of which 5% may be carried over and the underspent amount added to the following year’s expenditure), tallying $44 million over the licence term.

About 74% of the programming budget ($7.9 million in year one, growing to $9.4 million by year seven) will be spent on Canadian shows. Year one’s independent production price tag is $5.2 million, with acquisitions at $690,000.

Over the licence term, $39 million (88% of that $44 million) will be spent on original productions. Taking into account the production interests of shareholders, 75% of tcn’s new Cancon spending will go to the non-licensee-affiliated indie production sector.

Programming needs: nothing has been blessed yet on the programming front, and there are no hints forthcoming as to what kinds of projects would receive the warmest welcome. Currently, tcn’s mission is sussing out the available comedic inventory. So far the findings reveal sketch is virtually everywhere and the only bare-cupboard slot identified is Canadian sitcoms.

Those anxious to fill the void should be aware that original sitcoms are slightly too ambitious financially for the new net to solo, and would not be a likely prospect unless there was a traditional broadcaster (financially) attached according to Steeves. ‘Don’t send me the sitcoms you expect to spend half a million on.’

As to the licence fee ballpark, ‘we’re still playing with that.’ In terms of the portion of the budget licence fees would cover for new production, Steeves says the range is 10% to almost 100% ‘if there’s something we want badly enough’ and which might otherwise have a limited resale value.

Steeves says tcn is prepared to look at projects at the conceptual stage, ‘with talent attached.’ The ‘talent attached’ element is key, given the star-driven nature of comedy.

Bottom line, all deal models will be considered, ‘as long as it’s legal,’ and Steeves foresees a great deal of sponsorship potential, citing event-driven programming as a likely suspect.

While no output deals or program pipelines have been inked, tcn is in discussions with various players. As to the pursuit status of a programming deal with a foreign comedy net, Steeves says, ‘I think what would interest us is if it were on the basis of a reciprocal arrangement that would benefit the community here.’

The application cited potential programming as including a half-hour showcase, Comedy Cabaret, Open Mike starring Mike MacDonald, and a tv take on Double Exposure, and possible signature strips including The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, Jack Benny and Great Britain’s On the Buses and Men Behaving Badly. Again, Steeves says no commitments yet, ‘all of that is just getting underway.’

Anticipated revenue: year-one revenue is projected at $9.3 million, rising to $18.5 million by year seven. First-year sub fees account for $8.3 million, with the advertising take at $1 million. For year two, revenue is estimated at $13.8 million, subs at $12.4 million and advertising at $1.4 million. In year seven, subscriber fees reach $15.8 million and ads take $2.7 million.

Carriage: Steeves is embarking on the cable meetings tour post-Vancouver app biz. In the tcn application, a rate of $0.35 per sub was pegged on a discretionary tier.