Franchise Bidders’ Promises
As the dust settled on the ITC after yesterday’s flurry of franchise bids, three ITV incumbents could relax in the surety that their franchises were safe; Central, STV and Border were un- challenged.
Given that each of these three companies could have got away with bids as low as £1000, one cannot help wondering what sums of cash were pledged in their brown envelopes.
Four of the Big Five ITV incumbents – Thames, LWT, Yorkshire and Granada – faced serious challengers. See Newsline today for a full list of the bidders. All of the current ITV companies are expected to sail over the ITC’s quality hurdle , but all of the bidders are anxious to publicise their programming proposals. The cash bids will not be examined by the ITC until August, once the test of programme quality has been passed.
TV-am, which has been publicly criticised of late for its news output, included plans for a series on a child’s eye view of the world, and an investigation into displaced people.The company also promised a new £10m fund to produce programmes of “especially high quality”. Daybreak TV (Carlton, INT, Daily Telegraph), promised “a more sub- stantial breakfast”. The service, it was promised, would be the “most ambitious, continuous live magazine programme broadcast seven days a week.”
Sunrise Television (LWT, STV, Guardian, Disney), also bidding for the breakfast franchise, pledged a rolling news programme, and an emphasis on regional news and weather every weekday. The service would provide “useful informat- ion and quality entertainment.”
TVS, one of the most seriously challenged incumbents, announced a re- financing package and promised to improve its regional efforts. Plans were revealed for four targeted local bulletins across different areas in the region.
Meridian Broadcasting (SelecTv, MAI, Central TV) proposed redrawing the TVS franchise area, and dividing it into three sub-areas. The company has lined up stars including Rowan Atkinson, Michael Palin, Tracey Ullman and Robbie Coltrane, and made deals with some of the largest independent producers.
Carlton Television and CPV-TV (Virgin, David Frost) are bidding for the TVS and Thames franchises (CPV-TV is also chasing the Anglia franchise). CPV-TV is promising to install video booths around the TVS region for viewers to air their comments. It says its philosophy in all its bids is based on the success of Channel 4 as a publisher/broadcaster.
Carlton also envisages itself operating along Channel 4 lines: “As a publisher/ broadcaster, we have the flexibility to find and invest in the best talent.” Carlton is intending to spend £80m a year on original programming, with 500 hours of new output to the TV network. 420 hours of regional output are planned for London, and 700 hours for the South and South East. Thames is defending its lucrative franchise by pledging 500 hours of out- put to the network, including 80 exist- ing shows and over 90 new programmes. Cost cutting measures are being implemented to streamline the workforce to almost half its level in the mid- eighties.
LWT is facing a formidable opponent in the guise of London Independent Broadcasting (Polygram,Palace, Mentorn, Working Title). LIB promises to produce its own news, and will broadcast international drama supplied by America’s Propaganda Film company. LIB yesterday seemed cautious about its chances, announcing that the odds against success for a newcomer were 80 to 20.
Anglia, facing bids from CPV-TV and the Three East Group, offered a new early evening News Hour, integrating local, national and international news.
Three East (EMAP, Daily Telegraph) promised a strong line-up of comedy and light entertainment shows.
Championing of the local character of the region plays an important part in the plans for many of the regional franchises. TSW plans more programmes in Cornish, whilst North East Television (Border, Granada) intends to split the region into two, with separate news services, and plans a new soap-opera, the North- Eastenders!
North West Television (Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, Phil Redmond) promises to quadruple the present level of local programming to 50 hours a week, with an early morning slot devoted to a particular town in the region. Granada is planning an increase in local programming, and has proposals for two new network soap-operas, one about the rich, one about the poor. Huge vans were used to deliver the tonnage of paper containing the bidders’ programme proposals to the ITC yesterday, and it will take until August to sift through and consider the plans.
However, with the size and experience of the majority of bidders, and the fact that the ITC may be forced to defend its decision in court, should a franchise not go to the highest bidder, the brown envelopes with the cash bids are literally worth more than a million van loads of “quality” programming proposals