The Province from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 63

Wednesday, October 23, 1996 The Province 03 ss Who gets the TV gravy? I -m. Five companies wait for the chance to launch a new station in Vancouver The hearing wrapped last month and a decision is expected early in the New Year. With projected annual revenues of $30 million, the applicants are eager for a decision. "They're all very strong applicants, which is good for the Mike Roberts said 'our 500-channel universe is expanding in January to 501. A whimper, perhaps, in the global system but harder for the decision, station for the Vancouver-Victoria area.

The market does not dictate to the Canadian broadcast Industry, the Canadian Radio-Telecommunications Commission does. In its wisdom, the CRTC has decided it could well be time to put a new kid on the air. (Two, possibly, if one is multilingual). Why? Not out of the goodness of its bureaucratic heart. Advertisers who spent $170 million In local TV commercials last year are waiting in line for airtime while big-buck border stations (particularly KVOS Bellingham) are slurping up our low-cost ad gravy.

Five broadcasters three from Ontario, two from Manitoba answered the CRTC's call for applications, filing proposals as thick as four phone books. scheme of things, but a helluva of a the CRTC B.C.Yukon regional commissioner Sally Warren, one of five commissioners casting a deciding vote. The commission may nix all the applications. It has before. "I would think with the market study, and with the applicants, I shouldn't really say this, but I would be surprised if we don't licence somebody," Warren said yesterday.

bang for southwestern B.C. A new television It's been 22 years since CKVU (U.TV's predecessor) was granted a licence to fire up an aerial. We're not talking "specialty cable" here Mr. Bean repackaged and foreign movies with the naughty bits intact but a whole new TV Ml 1J ai.w..j -r fiir ii mi ''-l those 10 multilingual hours. Telling Quotes: An original, proven, invented-' in-Canada 'archetypal' format that is known to und positively anticipated by Vancouver residents." In the Offing: EverythingTV.

AnythingTV. Buzz: Two words: Moses Znaimer. Two more words: Glen Clark. Broadcaster Znaimer for all the ink-stained thumb-pokes he takes for the ponytail and the Marshal McLuhan-isms has single- Chum Toronto. The Handle: "Vtv." Vancouver Television.

Channel: 32 in Vancouver; 29 in Victoria. Plan: A CityTV for the West Coast modelled on the Toronto station's hip "flow" formula. The Ante: $20 million. Cattle Call: 169 jobs. V' MOSES ZNAIMER entertaining, it ain't TV.

News Value: 20 hours of weekly local news brought to you by 102 full-time street staff. Set Universal Translator: English. (Ten hours a week multilingual). The Multl-Cultch Card: Bringing local leading multicultural broadcaster James Ho on board for English. Some Mandarin and Punjabi.

The Mutti-Cultch Card: There's the VI Chinese News and the VI South Asia News in Mandarin and Punjabi respectively. There's a series called Spectrum by leading ethnic producers and The CRAIG: Craig Broadcast Systems Man. The Handle: VITV. "Very Independent Television." Channel: 32 in Vancouver; 29 in Victoria. Plan: A local arts and entertainment station with a healthy dollop of news.

The Ante: $1 1 million Cattle Call: 150 jobs. handedly revolutionized the television medium in Canada. See: CityTV, MuchMusic. And he has allies on the West Coast. Lots of 'em.

Even the premier made a video appeal to the CRTC supporting Znaimer's application. Front-runner. Street Cred: Two words: Street Cred: Despite nine years experience in Manitoba with an independent television service, the Craig group is virtually unknown on the West Coast But the VITV proposal promises 32 hours of weekly local programing, "no eastern network atfiliations" and the nightly founders) Daryl Duke is on the board. Gets the straight-up- busmess vote. Street Cred: Baton brought U9 The Littlest Hobo in the '80's.

Say no more. Entertainment Value: Lots ol funding for drama and program devtilopmont, but hnie mention ol live local Moses Znaimer. A few more words: Vancouver broadcaster Pia Shandel, writer Peter C. Newman, Gen-X dude Douglas Coupland, Chief Leonard George, gallery owner Diane Farris. This is Vtv's advisory board.

Entertainment Value: Basic philosophy: If it ain't Yaletown show "highlighting local groups and performers." Entertainment Value: That's the name of this group's game. News Value: Twenty news crews around Vancouver and Victoria providing over 20 hours a week ol local coverage. Set Universal Translator: entertainment coverage. News Value: Not Overwhelming 12.5 hours of news per week with dogeared for documentaries Set Universal Translator Ervjloh, The Multl-Cultch Card: Two shows First SKy (First Nations' storms); Ntw program" on Sundays. Telling Ouotes: To provide new and exciting viewing choices for British Colombians (sic), end new marketing opportunities for advertisers." In the Offing: Recreational and community shows.

Mondo entertainment and hourly news breaks. Gen-X angle with a show called Youth Chronicles. A daily half -hour program Buzz: Drew Craig's a young and affable fella who's been successful with a string of stations in Manitoba. Two highlights: A major commitment to drama and a nightly show called Yaletown, which despite the lame name, has sparked major industry buzz. Buzz: Baton, which owns 22 stations, is a major CTV shareholder and knows this market.

Bilingual news reporteis are being brought on. directed by Cameron Bell, who once ran DC TVs newsroom. Vancouver film-maker (and one of CKVU's Sharing Circle, a "weokry aboriginal magazine Worlds (fresh faces, new voices). Telling Quotes: "Wa envision a program service rich In diveisity, wide choice and dear In meaningful reflection of the city swka V) trrve In the Offing: fringing on BCIT and Langnrj sturtonts to pl iy up the called Vancouver Gallery will covtw openings and shmoozps but not, it seems, the live local scone. BATON: Baton Broadcastmg-Eleclrohome Broadcast Group, Ont.

The Handle: CIVT-TV. "Vancouver Television." Channel: 42. Plan: To represent the new mainstream of Vancouver" with lotsa news bureaus. The Ante: S21 million. Cattle Call: 118 jobs.

Australia) and Eastondois (tromtheUK That's it. Telling Quotes: "If licensed, VITV would go much farther in meeting the AN WESTS CanWest Global Broadcasting Systems. Man. The Handle: VITV. "Vancouver Is'and Television." Channel: 21 lor Victoria, 4 for the upper Island.

Plan: U.TV tor Vancouver Island. The Ante: $15 million Cattle Call: 135 jobs. Buzz: Winnipeg broadcasting mogul Izzy owner of TV, is playmg up the Vancouver li.ind any? a only applicant who IMKt tO biH9 n't VidoHa. The'O afe 2 3 million people in the Lower Mainland artd only on the nd. You do tr m.ith Unions tN OwnrtiiNfliexwn in Tofsnrt.

Alfi 1 CHiWifcrtl re Street Cred: Promising 24 5 hours a wook of t'8jh Island P'cyjMming am a commitment to tt CanWikt is bui'Jg on its production wirt A.nK.i ,3 a 'Hi Ntw EntrtainiTMn Value: fiik)fv) and a Uxi chitrik of ui to and variufy prog'ammg Newa Value: Five news tn fve Va'Kouvor cenfes providing 15 hounj a wftck of covoMfjo, Set Universal Translator: trvj' -ih. thd l'ifCt nvr at (imjj not ca'tryy) The Mutti-Cultch Card: Two j' toours (''CKn I2ZYASPER oci.tv!s ol the Broadcasting Ac1 t'mn any Ik of an oddtional suit.tw Vancouver In the Offing: Pacit X-Vtm kxj ilka a cool IsI.i'kJ i'K)W. laAguwjo of cia In the Offing: Noji-v? 7 'JiKi ati'ion v9 ni in ti'vi fon to Buzz: Rotors Inouci'n a -n tijktKjvrtf be a iitt'o i.wtr than Pi a in f.id. tti pfryouti move on i-oO Sfi.l'k fNt CMTC'I CHifof Street Cred; LMi of In kifl i( jis tntorl4innw)i( Value: V.l'v'.-xv News Value: for nymfl'oys 6t Universal Trantlator: tio'i knot), Iij'itql VWW Tht Wuffl-Cuhch Cd: Vji( yih im'y (at llogers Broadcasting Ont. The Handle: MV.

Channel: 32 Plan; Not a mjw suvon, fr The C-l4 8'fV W.int fiwt'to-'ity to lKlui'4 aiivrii Of A multilingual p.iyTV i'i' m. turn it (t'to an ih iif f'dfujn b'oi in tin i I The Ante: 2 n' Cattle Call; 100jtiv TtOPOCCM.