Dyke turns down plea to stay with LWT: Leaving is a personal decision, the man behind Roland Rat tells colleagues

GREG DYKE, the populist programming genius responsible for Roland Rat and Blind Date, is leaving LWT following Granada's successful hostile takeover of the London weekend broadcaster.

He told staff yesterday that he hoped those who had pleaded with him to remain would not feel he had let them down. It was a personal decision, he said.

Mr Dyke's departure comes despite Granada's efforts to persuade the group's respected and popular chief executive to stay. He will remain until the end of the month to ensure a smooth handover.

Mr Dyke and Sir Christopher Bland, LWT's chairman, who as widely expected is also leaving but with immediate effect, are the first victims of their failed battle to keep LWT independent. They are unlikely to be the last.

Charles Allen, who runs Granada's television interests and who takes over from Mr Dyke, spent yesterday at LWT talking to key personnel. He is said to be keen that as many as possible should stay.

'We want them. We think they are a bright and talented group of individuals,' said a spokesman.

But there will be some duplication of function. Moreover, the bitterness of the bid battle means some executives may join Mr Dyke in declining to work for Granada.

Unusually, many are in a financial position to do so thanks to LWT's share incentive scheme, the most lucrative in British history. The scheme, which matured last August, saw 54 executives receive shares worth pounds 70m. By the time the bid ended, the holdings of the 12 board directors alone were worth more than pounds 54m.

Departing directors will still receive compensation. A spokesman said terms had already been agreed with Sir Christopher and Mr Dyke, but he declined to give details.

The latest set of accounts shows Sir Christopher received pounds 103,328 in 1992 while the highest-paid director, assumed to be Mr Dyke, received pounds 174,090. In contrast, Sir Christopher's shares are worth more than pounds 14m and Mr Dyke's more than pounds 9m. Both men have yet to disclose whether they are taking cash or Granada shares in exchange for their LWT holdings.

There was no clue as to what Mr Dyke, 46, would do next. The suggestion that he would take charge of Network Centre, the ITV commissioning outfit, was discounted by friends. 'He is a programming man and Network Centre is a mess of bureaucracy,' said one.

(Photograph omitted)