Best way to create channel main pages

I have been wondering what might be the best way to create channel main pages.

For a site I am working this is what I have in mind.

i) These main pages will have different regions.
ii) Different views will be slotted in these regions.
iii) There are different node types and different vocabularies for each.
iv) Create a "page" page to use as placeholder. e.g. channelname

I am slightly stuck as to how to create a template file.

Should it be page-page-channelname.tpl.php or page-page-channelname(id).tpl.php.

I have seen panels but haven't liked it so much.

TIA.

Subir

ED/PS: A template name called page-node-xxx.tpl.php seems to work to quite an extent.