[Milkshake]

I'm pressing 'doubt' on this one I'm afraid. It doesn't ring true that a decision maker would offer a chance to clarify something then an applicant in this situation decline to. It just doesn't make sense - the investment in the process of getting a bid to the ITC was huge, why squander the opportunity?

I also doubt the ITC would have been able to do this as it would have broken the sealed bid system as defined by the Broadcasting Act; it was not a 2 way process.

Finally, unless they asked literally every applicant who's bid relied somewhat on other bidder's staff/facilities, it'd have effectively indicated to David Frost (a shareholder in TV-am plc) that TV-am's bid was failing/had failed.

This doesn't make sense either, IMHO. Carlton wouldn't write a blank cheque for another company, they don't know which, to fill in the numbers on. What if no deal was agreeable? It's an even worse scenario than the one which supposedly scuppered CPV.

Here is the piece about there operations and the update in June of 1991:

up.metropol247.co.uk 

[WillPS]

Here is the piece about there operations and the update in June of 1991:

up.metropol247.co.uk 

Interesting, thank you. I think it's fair to characterise the failure to plan for the possibility TV-am wouldn't continue and the effect that'd have as a pretty minor concern given the thorough beating they gave the whole plan - in particular the 'Capital Hour' programme idea itself.

[Humphrey Hacker]

Here is the piece about there operations and the update in June of 1991:

up.metropol247.co.uk 

That's the document I was referring to. Thanks for the link.

[Bluecortina]

Greg Dyke wrote that Carlton and LWT were engaged in talks over a combined news operation under the codename of Lions and Tigers.

They were, but it was never certain and was never tied up until after Carlton was awarded their licence. Carlton's initial intention was to build a news operation out in Docklands (I forget where now). Can't speak about any transmission facility but Carlton had plenty of suitable TV facilities around central London.

LWT were interested to provide a joint news and transmission facility using LWT's TLS subsidiary for pretty obvious reasons but Carlton would have none of it - they weren't prepared to allow LWT to, in effect, be the overall head honcho's. So they agreed to set up an independent joint 50/50 owned company initially called the 'Joint Venture Operating Company' until later being renamed LNN by that company's own board. Whilst 50/50 jointly owned the costs were considerably weighted in LWT's favour.

I always thought LNN was a great little company, staffed and run by a great group of people but it was a great tragedy that it was standalone from both LWT and Carlton and suffered greatly when Granada took over the helm. It was initially celebrated but that was replaced by a sense of impending doom when the implications of the Granada takeover began to sink in.

Others who post here occasionally can say more.

[Humphrey Hacker]

They were, but it was never certain and was never tied up until after Carlton was awarded their licence. Carlton's initial intention was to build a news operation out in Docklands (I forget where now). Can't speak about any transmission facility but Carlton had plenty of suitable TV facilities around central London.

LWT were interested to provide a joint news and transmission facility using LWT's TLS subsidiary for pretty obvious reasons but Carlton would have none of it - they weren't prepared to allow LWT to, in effect, be the overall head honcho's. So they agreed to set up an independent joint 50/50 owned company initially called the 'Joint Venture Operating Company' until later being renamed LNN by that company's own board. Whilst 50/50 jointly owned the costs were considerably weighted in LWT's favour.

I always thought LNN was a great little company, staffed and run by a great group of people but it was a great tragedy that it was standalone from both LWT and Carlton and suffered greatly when Granada took over the helm. It was initially celebrated but that was replaced by a sense of impending doom when the implications of the Granada takeover began to sink in.

Others who post here occasionally can say more.

From what I know about LNN was that it did a good job of giving the Capital a unified news service which I thought was long overdue. The on screen identity was powerful, the views from the South Bank were amazing and of course there was Anna Marie Ashe...

tvark.org 

London Today | TVARK
A brief clip of the first mid-morning bulletin. The punchy music, powerful graph…
  Source: tvark.org

[James2001]

and of course there was Anna Marie Ashe...

Which always reminds me of this: .

www.youtube.com 

[Humphrey Hacker]

Double post alert.

We know about Thames and Carlton but there seems to be very little information online about CPV-TV. Are there any sources I can look at?

[JamieMurph25]

Double post alert.

We know about Thames and Carlton but there seems to be very little information online about CPV-TV. Are there any sources I can look at?

CPV-TV was a consortium led by Sir David Frost (who was then the remaining presenter of the 'Fab 5' when TV-am launched in February 1983) and Virgin founder, Richard Branson, it had backing from Chrysalis Group. It submitted bids for London Weekday for £45,319,000, East of England for £10,100,000 and South & South East of England for £22,100,000, but all 3 bids failed on quality grounds (despite two of the bids outbid by a rival).

[Humphrey Hacker]

CPV-TV was a consortium led by Sir David Frost (who was then the remaining presenter of the 'Fab 5' when TV-am launched in February 1983) and Virgin founder, Richard Branson, it had backing from Chrysalis Group. It submitted bids for London Weekday for £45,319,000, East of England for £10,100,000 and South & South East of England for £22,100,000, but all 3 bids failed on quality grounds (despite two of the bids outbid by a rival).

Thanks for that starting post. Are there any books etc?

[WillPS]

Thanks for that starting post. Are there any books etc?

Not about CPV specifically, but this book covers the whole farcical auction:
www.amazon.co.uk 

503 - Service Unavailable Error
We're sorry An error occurred when we tried to process your request.We're workin…
  Source: www.amazon.co.uk