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.

Baton services

Cloistered in b.c. for the week of Sept. 23 along with the rest of the Canadian private broadcasting system, development processes for Baton Broadcasting Systems’ two digital specialty services are on hold while Vancouver plays out.

The services are both ably up by next September should cable carriage be approved.

Outdoor Life

Available for $0.10 on basic, Outdoor Life is one of the four applications making it through this licence round with an American partner onside.

Subject to crtc approval, Baton and Ralph C. Ellis, a Toronto distribution and production company specializing in wildlife entertainment programming, will control the property with a 36.8% interest. Outdoor Life Network l.l.c., a u.s. specialty service, will maximize its foreign ownership potential at 33.3%. Rogers Programming Services, a division of Rogers Communications, is in for 29.9%.

Outdoor Life is targeting the 18-49 demo with programming dealing exclusively with recreation, conservation, wilderness and adventure. It also has licence to include, in no longer than 15-minute segments, programming dealing with analysis and interpretation, informal education, amateur sports and human interest.

Throughout the licence term, Cancon will run 30% of the sked overall and in primetime, with 37% of the previous year’s gross going to Canadian programming after the first full broadcast year.

With the majority of Outdoor’s original product coming from independent producers, the commission has taken the production and distribution abilities of Baton and Ellis into account, and given them a condition of licence that says 60% of the service’s new independent Canadian production must come from arm’s-length sources.

Volume deals are expected for Outdoor, 65-plus episodes, with commitments made that these won’t happen with production and distribution companies affiliated with Baton or Ellis.

First-year expenditures are $2.9 million for Canadian programming, of which acquisitions account for $1.6 million and production $1.2 million. Over the seven-year term, Outdoor’s Canadian programming investment is pegged at $21.4 million.

Given the go-ahead, Outdoor will expand in the bbs facilities in Toronto. Although the hiring hasn’t started, staff-up will require 31 full-time positions: 13 in programming, seven in engineering, one in traffic, five in advertising and promotion and five in administration.

Talk TV

Part of the Baton three-pack, Talk tv, a 24-hour talk show service, applied only for a digital licence but landed with a licence enabling it to go up when digital technology is available or by Sept. 1, 1999, which, given the cable/digital fix, theoretically leaves it open for a space on analog.

The program sked consists of a 12-hour wheel repeated once throughout the broadcast day. Canadian content runs 68% of the broadcast day, 71% in primetime, with 36% of gross revenue going to Canadian programming after the first full broadcast year. Total expenditure – based on digital distribution – on Cancon over the licence term is $23 million.

First-year Canadian expenditure is a projected $3.1 million, with $2.8 million produced and $364,000 acquired. The production/acquisition ratio holds throughout the licence term. Year-two expenditure is a projected $3.2 million.

As its contribution to the independent production sector, Talk will contribute $50,000 annually to script and concept development. BBS Productions will not have access to the funds.

Canadian programming over the licence term will be 39% of gross revenue. Talk requested a $0.70 per sub fee-for-service based on digital distribution. No basic rate was established in the licence.

With a green light, 20 new full-time staff will be hired for Talk.