The Times , 1991, UK, English
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,._EsuSJr h THE No 64,153 THURSDAY OCTOBER 17 1991 4Qp Tortured SAS men DESJENSON had nails Thames, TV-am torn out lose licences in by Iraqis By David Watts diplomatic CORRESPONDENT bidding battle SAS commandos captured by the Iraqis during secret mis¬ By Melinda. Wittstock. media correspondent sions in search of Scud mis¬ siles during the Gulf war had losers would have to prove THREE of the four tele¬ their finger nails pulled out as that the ITC had acted beyond vision companies that pan of a grim saga of tenure. its statutory powers and even lost their broadcasting The SAS men were also franchises yesterday after then, the courts would not have the power to overturn burned by their Iraqi tonurers a controversial blind-bid the decisions. Asked if he because of the sensitivity of auction are considering thought the losers would take their mission. The revelations challenging the Indepen¬ legal action, George Russell, are the first to give details of dent Television Com¬ the commission rtmirfiwn, the treatment of the arms’s mission in the courts. said: *T don't think they crack troops, who played a Thames, the biggest sup¬ should or will because they vital role in debilitating the plier of peak-time pro¬ knew the rules when they Iraqi war machine. grammes to the ITV entered." The tonure of the men is network, and TV-am, the Bruce Gyngeii, the TV-am revealed by two RAF men. most profitable television chairman, said he would not Flight Lieutenant David Wad- dington, aged 24. and Flight company in the world, will pursue the matter in the courts but he described die award of Lieutenant Robbie Stewart, go off the air in 1993 after aged 44, whose Tornado was losing their licences to the morning franchise to Sun¬ rise Television a travesty. “I shot down during a raid on an higher bidders. TVS, which predict that Sunrise will be Iraqi airfield. They tell their serves the South, and the bankrupt by 1994,” he said. “I stories in a new book. Thun¬ West's TSW also lost then- do not believe that it can be a der and Lightning — The R.4F franchises in spite of profitable company with a bid in the Gulf, by Charles Allen. putting in bigger tenders of £34.6 million.1* TV-am, The airmen ejected from « than their rivals. whose 17 million viewers their jet at 600mph at a height Thames, TVS and TSW are represent 70 per cent of the of under 200ft. Right Lieuten¬ * - iverpt now contemplating seeking a breakfast audience, offered ant Stewart suffered a broken k judicial review of the selection £14. nriffian. The company shoulder and crushed verte¬ process and they may be now hopes to sell its morning brae and broke his leg in three i oiidjii joined by other unsuccessful programme to Channel 4. places. He says Iraqi Baath bidders, including Richard Thames, which lost the party police picked him up. Branson and Phi] Redmond. London weekday franchise to He was blindfolded and taken S!^n Jag Mr Branson was a three-time Carlton Television, mU shed a to an interrogation bunker loser in the auction and Mr thousand jobs and turn itself where he was continuously hit Redmond's North West Tele¬ into a production company, so across the legs with “a big vision feiledto oust Granada, that shows such as Minder. slick with some sort of a ball at even though it offered nearly The Bill and This Is Your Li fe Off camera: Bruce GyngeD, chairman of TV-am, grimacing outside his Camden headquarters yesterday after losing the breakfast-time franchise the end of it. He started hitting four times gs much will survive. TVS and TSW, me with this and said he'd Bat'the commission said rejected because the com¬ the national network. The process centred on the hngr break my other leg." mission thought their bids final shape of the Channel 3 of differences in the winning Flight Lieutenant Wadding- were too high for them to be the future w21 be determined lads. Central and Scottish, un¬ Honecker ton says guards stopped medi¬ able to. sustain quality and by the network controller to be opposed, offered only £2,000 23 dead in worst cal staff giving him an anes¬ profitability, are likely to be appointed in 2993. He or she for their licences and Channel thetic as they put his TODAY IN wound up will deride which of the paid £1,000. By contrast, athletes dislocated arm back in place. Shares in three successful offerings put forward by the 16 Yorkshire bid £37.7' million US mass killing The two men were taken to a THE TIMES incumbent companies also fell regional companies and some and Meridian £36.5 million. Baghdad prison where ' their From Agencies in killeen. texas because of fears that they may 800 independents should ap¬ Granada retained its licence forced to interrogation intensified. He -#- said he was blindfolded have overstretched them¬ pear on the screen. with a bid of £9 million A MAN aimed with an auto¬ get. We've never had anything against North West’s £35 mil¬ throughout and hit on the NOBEL WINNERS selves with their bids, but Only half of the 16 licences matic weapon drove his lony like this.” The town Is located Thames and TV-am, which went to companies that put in lion bid. Drfvid Plowright, the use drugs head, back and legs every time into a popular central Texas about 140 miles south of he refused to answer ques¬ are thought to have good the highest cash bid — the Granada chairman, said: The cafeteria and opened fire on Dallas, near Fort Hood army tions. "Sometimes they’d beat futures as independents, re¬ other top bidders foiled the ITC has exercised its -dis¬ East Germany built its the lunch-time crowd, killing base in an area of ranches. me to the stage where I’d go mained fairly stable. “quality test” — and much of cretionary judgment in favour formidable athletics up to 22 people and wounding Army and civilian doctors unconscious. Then I’d come The TVS franchise will be the criticism of the auction of quality in a courageous team on the back of at least 15 others, television taken over by Meridian way. They have given pro¬ state-supplied steroids, rushed to the cafeteria to treat round and they’d ask me and radio reports said another question and beat me Broadcasting, and TSW will grammes a chance.” Nigel Hawkes reports the victims. A Luby’s spokes¬ yesterday. up again," be said. be replaced by Westcountry George Russell said that After the shooting rampage, man said that the incident was Television.’ Meridian and had the commission simply ecret East German docu¬ similar to a 1984 shooting But there were lighter mo¬ S the gunman went into a toilet ments. One pilot landed at Pferee-Gilksde Genaes, of Carlton, which secured the awarded each franchise to the ments show that the at Luby’s cafeteria and killed incident at a McDonald's France, has won the Nobel London licence with a £43.2 highest bidder, irrespective of doping of athletes with ste¬ restaurant in San Ytidro, 5am after a mission and himsclL CBS radio reported. demanded a copy of The Prize for Physics for his million bid, will break new quality, the Treasury would roids to improve their The shooting went on for 20 or California, where 21 people work in the fields oflkjuid ground by commissioning all have gained £200 million for performance was a full-scale, Times. Other papers were 30 minutes, one witness told died. Killeen is about 60 miles available but he said:" 'Well. I crystals, while Richard programmes, apart from local each of the 20 years of the state-sponsored scientific Cable News Network. Police from Austin, the scene of franchise. Last-minute chan¬ normally read The Times. Ernst, of Switzerland, has news, from independent idan under Erich Honecker's said that 22 people, including another of the worst mass ges to the Broadcasting Act Why can’t you get me a copy?* won the chemistry prize for producers. regime costing millions of the gunman, were dead, which meant the Treasury would killings in the United States, Here we were with half a mil¬ research in to spectroscopy. Carlton’s bid included pro¬ marks and reaching all the would make the shooting the receive £40 million more than where a sniper, Charles Whit¬ lion Iraqis up on the border Nigel Hawkes assesses their posals for a nightly game show way to the country’s top worst mass killing in Ameri¬ it does now. man, climbed a lower at the about 100 miles away and he achievements Page 14 and a new current affairs scientific body, the Academy can history. But Richard Dunn, chief University of Texas in 1966 was worried about not getting programme to replace This of Sciences. One witness told CBS that Continued on page 24, col 6 and picked off 14 people his copy of The Times." Week while Meridian offered There was no question of the man fired an automatic YOUF REVIVED comedy from Michael Palin, athletes getting their drugs weapon "as fast as he could Rowan Atkinson and Tracey Winners and losers, pages 4-5 slipped to them in the car pull the trigger". Another UUznan. Bat none of the Kind date, page 18 park, as has happened in the report said that he sal in the winners can guarantee that the Diary, page 18 West The entire operation lorry and fired after ramming truna iwm programmes promised in their Leading article, page 19 was conducted with teutonic the vehicle through the win¬ applications will be shown on Shares feU, page 25 efficiency and helped pro¬ dow of the cafeteria about duce the remarkable domi¬ 1pm (7pm London time).