Like the rest of the CanWest Global affiliates, Vancouver-based u.tv is carving out its identity via ‘appointment’ television, a term buzzed by the CanWest pre-1994 fall launch to describe its focus on the consistent scheduling of quality programming.

With the rights to much of the Hockey Night in Canada season, Ontario’s Global has pretty much snafued the consistent scheduling part with Leafs games forcing the Wednesday night lineup to bounce hither and yon throughout the winter. But in Vancouver, bctv and chek-tv, both ctv affiliates, have a stronghold on the Canucks and Grizzlies games, leaving u.tv an easier time upholding the consistency mandate.

‘We hate juggling shows,’ says Susan Brinton, program manager for u.tv and Western director of Canadian production for CanWest.

‘Even if the American networks are juggling, we’ll wait until they settle down before we move anything. You want your audience to know where you are every week.’

u.tv, formerly Allard-controlled ckvu until Izzy Asper wrestled it away in 1988 in one of his signature legal battles, the service now serves Canada’s second largest English-language market of more than 2.7 million people, about 750,000 cable households on channel 10/cable 13. Primary target: adults 18-49; secondary demo, women 25-54. Programming strategy: go heavy on the promotions and keep the appointment with the audience.

Consistent scheduling of CanWest’s library of high-profile u.s. programs (Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, etc.) to drive the audience is key to the u.tv brand identity, setting it apart from ctv’s more events-oriented programming (figure skating, The Beatles), and apart from kvos-tv, the u.s. border station in the market which runs movies, strips, and is largely dependent on syndicated shows.

Carving a niche in the market has always been important for the b.c. broadcasters, but it’s becoming that much more so in the wake of the crtc’s new call for applications for broadcast licences to serve the Vancouver and/or Victoria markets.

Applications are due May 21. Already on the table are proposals from chum, Rogers, and CanWest, with Vancouver as part of its pack of applications filed at the beginning of the year for licences in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer.

Vancouver’s healthy advertising base has been stable for several years with revenues topping the $220 million mark. According to Jack Tomik, u.tv’s vp sales and marketing, u.tv pulls in about 25% of the Vancouver broadcasting ad pie, with 40% of that 25% coming from regional advertisers. General thought has it that the market could stand another channel, and if that happens, a solid brand identity will be necessary to hold audience share, says Brinton.

‘Whether a new station would glut the market isn’t a question we can answer yet. But in the meantime, the big issue for us is solidifying our local presence.’

Primetime is locked in, but Brinton pegs local news as a potential growth area and one that will receive a lot of attention over the next few months as u.tv moves to strengthen its position in the market pre any new arrivals. bctv is king in the Vancouver area in terms of news, particularly on the 6-7 p.m. shift where ratings ran an average audience of 551,000 viewers 18+ over the first three weeks of March.

‘Their news is more provincial in scope and skews to a older audience, so we’re becoming focused on local stories, particularly for the lower mainland and Vancouver Island markets, and trying to attract some of the younger audience,’ says Brinton.

To date, u.tv’s sports programming consists of the nfl games, and despite tsn rumbling about a regional service and a host of other applicants pitching regional sports specialty services, there are no plans to change sports coverage to compete for the audience, says Brinton.

‘Our core is good primetime program buying and I don’t see us changing strategy, competition or not,’ she says.

u.tv’s primetime Canadian includes CanWest’s Outer Limits, Traders and Jake and the Kid. Outer Limits, the only one of the pack on air during the bbm fall sweeps, the latest ratings data available for u.tv, was pulling a 4.0 primetime, with ratings that play out a lot like the Toronto/ Hamilton market, with Seinfeld regularly in number one with 19, followed by The X-Files, Friends, Caroline in the City and Frasier. ctv properties er, Home Improvement and Melrose Place hold the only three top 10 spots not belonging to CanWest.

In the 9:30 p.m. Saturday slot, Mysterious Island, an Atlantis Films/Tasman Film and Television coproduction in association with The CanWest Global System, premiered March 30.

According to Brinton, a decision on whether to renew Ready or Not is imminent. The series will go into syndication at the end of this season.