We’re slicing the pie again. Divvying up the dial, eyeballs and ad bucks, so just as Round One ‘make whole’ contenders are claiming victory, get ready for Sub Fees: The Sequel.

As usual, virtually all specialty channel applicants will have virtually no effect on existing tv ad revenue. Curiously, the ad impact number that pops up like a weed in most applications is one-tenth of 1% in year one. Images of Patrick McKenna’s Rogers-inspired messy pie slicing demo from last year’s Geminis keep bobbing up, somehow reminiscent of this math conundrum.

Curious also is the belief held by some applicants that they will pry ads from folks who don’t currently advertise on tv, and some optimistically suggest advertisers will be lured to spend more on broadcast advertising.

Enigmatically, in its explanation of minimum competitive impact, Mystery Channel speculates it will apprehend viewers currently not watching tv. In outlining evolving social conditions that point to a need for its service, La Canal Vie cites an ongoing increase in medication consumption and a growing mental distress rate.

Strange, but true. In the last round of specialty applications the suggestions regarding impact on traditional broadcasting and ability to produce volumes of specialized programming were received skeptically, then proceeded to prove true, both in terms of pulling in feasible penetration levels, diverse revenue streams and new sponsors, and a heck of a lot of panels.

While the programming proposed by many of the so-called niches is already available somewhere on the dial, there is undeniable attraction (and eventually dough) in a service such as the animation contender teletoon, which offers a reliable and safe, comfy cartoon stop.

While there are a few applications that consumers would rather be paid for allowing entry into their living rooms, than pay for, for the most part the applicants are very strong, and in some categories, there will be a battle of the titans. As in the comedy corner where Red Green and Dave Thomas are up against the Moses Znaimer forces and the Donovans, with a contingent from Baton, Shaw and Astral also in the ring. Perhaps there’s a miniseries in here somewhere, or at least a Canadian take on The Late Shift.

When lack of channel capacity joins the ranks of rabbit-eared, black-and-white tvs as a historical curiosity, tales of the limited-dial days will certainly be told in context of how the crtc maneuvered through the most eclectic mix of business plans for niche broadcasting ever (since the last time) filed en masse. This time with a little help from friends in cable

Many speculate this will be the last open call, and surely, after having already gone through the process once, wading through the 40-odd latest applications (many of them the size of a hefty phone book) will induce a less eye-straining system.