[WillPS]

Of course CPV which I failed to mention also was planning on using TVAM staff and its new operations to cover the local news output. It was pretty much the same as Carlton but they failed to say what the Plan B was if TVAM lost, I believe there were given a chance to give the ITC its plan B, which they never did. They could have said if TVAM had lost they would take on some of the staff etc but im surprised they didnt suggest such a thing. It was more like renting of TVAM.

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.

Im sure Carlton wanted to work with WHO ever want the weekend service to provide a 7 day news service.

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.