NEW SPORTS CHANNEL IN CANADA TO GO REGIONAL

     "How spooked is TSN by CTV's plans to start up a rival
Canadian sports channel (with regional programming)?," asks
William Houston in Toronto.  "Insiders say TSN is particularly
concerned about the huge B.C. lower mainland market and the fact
that TSN prime time on the West Coast consists of canned
progamming from Toronto."  TSN is seriously considering renting
studio space in Vancouver to do their 11:00pm (ET) sports news
show.  CTV's proposed regional channel, yet to be approved by the
government, would provide local programming in four regions of
Canada (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 12/10).
     LABATT EXPANDING?  John Labatt Ltd., parent company of TSN,
would like to "bolster its broadcast business but it has been a
tough slog to find a takeover candidate," according to Labatt
President George Taylor.  Instead, Labatt is expanding its
broadcast and related production holdings internally (Toronto
GLOBE & MAIL, 12/10).