By RTV:
5.
xvi)
xvii)
that the preliminary monopoly period would in fact extend to a minimum of 6 years and 2 months, and possibly to 6 years and 10 months, instead of 5 years, the outcome of the tenders might have been different, and the successful tenderer could have afforded to offer a higher rate of royalty to Government.
Rediffusion would be occasioned immense harm and damage through no fault on its part.
Most of Rediffusion's existing 1350 employees would have to be dismissed; to some extent tha valuable technical staff, highly and expensively trained, will be irretrievably absorbed by other industries and not be available to whoever is the successful tenderer, A valuable Colony asset, in which great investment has been made, namely the infrastructure of the Radiffusion staff, will be destroyed.
It is impossible to overstress that not only does cach and every of the adverse consequences listed disappear if a licence is granted by private treaty to the Rediffusion consortium, but, in addition, substantial advantages thereby accrue to the public to Government, and others concerned.
0.
Ka
TVB, we understand, have been actively lobbying in favour of the tender procedure proposal this is not surprising in view of the immense advantages which auto- matically accrue to them merely from adoption of the proposal. We believe they suggest that as there were tenders in 1965 it would be unfair if tenders were not adopted in 1972. Quite apart from the motives involved, the situations in 1965 and 1972 are disalike and no parallels can be drawn. No one could pretend that tender procedure is not fair (and desirable from the purist's point of view) in a "clean slate" position but that ie not the case now, as Rediffusion's licence is about to expire. Renewal of its licence on existing terms is not a realistic possibility and simply because one half of its facilities” (television studios) have been rendered incapable (by reason of 1968 decisions) of future economic function integrated with a wired network, and the only possible use left for those facilities in off-air broadcasting.
.../over