TV Commerce Share Discussion Threads

[currypasty] 27/11/2006 21:29

he may have paid 4p or there abouts for the shares since list, but who knows what he paid, if anything for the bulk of his holding.

[opapete] 27/11/2006 21:20

trader

You are quite right.

There was very little movement today - just one sale, admittedly with shares which are probably becoming increasingly difficult to trade. The great majority of small shareholders therefore are still holding on.

I make the point that there is profit to be made by trading within the ICSTIS guidelines. Others do it so why not TVC ? It appears that StarDate was the problem but what of the rest of the business ? Is that not viable ?

Vince's reputation is that he rarely, if ever, backs a real loser and that is why investors have followed him and listened to his advice.

[traderabc] 27/11/2006 19:55

From what I understand Vince took a big holding in this from the start,as the price dropped he increased his exposure and bought all the sorry way down, he now has at least 70% of the firm,he is deeply in the red on all of that investment.
Please correct me if I'm wrong,he must must want to see TVC recover.
He delivered what was expected,the company issued nothing but good news and swiftly grew to profitability. The share price was telling those who could see the bad news. Watching the price continue to plunge I wonder if there is any 'hope'.The infastructure of the company is still in place,they could do something else,they still have their customers,they just have to sell them something that does not infringe the law.

Does it really matter that he may have been a hairdresser once ? The relavance is in his achievments since his involvement in the financial services industry. If we can credit him with what he has achieved in the past then perhaps there is a solution. He knows that industry well,he may come up with something. While the share price drops further I wouldn't be surprised if he increased his stake in the next few weeks/months,he could hover up another 10% of TVC. Would it be in his favour to then take the firm private at that point? He still has paid above 4p for 70% of it,what would be in his advantage if he took it private? Surely to recover his losses he has to keep TVC listed profitable and in compliance with the law. Can that be done?

[ponderer] 27/11/2006 16:39

My view is make sure your stop is placed at least 12% lower than your entry point, otherwise you could end up being one of those stories when you got stopped out on a minor spike down.

"I'm afraid my stop also caused me to lose most of my trading money," he e-mailed me ruefully.

And that's another point; never put all your eggs in one basket. My reader, of course, was excited about BAA because of a possible bid. The price went down when the bid looked less certain and rocketed up again when a bid was more likely again. If he had held BAA as part of a balanced portfolio then his would not have lost so much of his trading capital.

So to sum up: in these volatile times stops can save you from a sudden market crash. But do not set them too close! And remember, when setting stops with spread betting firms, only a guaranteed stop will get you out at the exact price of your stop loss. You must use the word "guaranteed".

My portfolio isn't faring too badly despite the volatility. My strongest companies are holding up well and these include Carphone Warehouse, Creston and Wolfson.

A word of comfort to those holding shares during this turbulence: it is not 1999 when shares were obviously overvalued. Those sticking with good companies should end up OK.

Good luck to all during these difficult times and whatever decisions you make, I hope they prove the right ones!

[badabing] 27/11/2006 15:53

Yeah..shame about the share price though....you would have thought they would have seen it coming......or perhaps they knew all along anyway......

[wiganer] 27/11/2006 15:44

Great haircut.

[timbo003] 26/11/2006 17:57

opapete

Thanks for that, In the TVC AIM prospectus, Vince's CV didn't mention that he blew it all in 1987, or that he had been a hairdresser in a previous career.

I wonder if he drives a Mazda MX5?

[stewpot2] 26/11/2006 15:37

Well said opa, someone like Vince is bound to be aware of the furore that has been created, and if he is to retain any creditability at all he must give some immediate answers to these questions. I also noticed the amount of buying on Friday, which tells me that the decision is far from certain.
Vince has made a lot of money advising people how to invest, and he advised all of them to invest in TVC via his database. An explanation is called for.

[opapete] 26/11/2006 14:47

timbo

I too went to the "ICSTIS's latest adjudications" page and have to await the official adjudication.

However, paste this address into your browser to get a little insight:-


An extract from the article on this page reads as follows:

"The company, run and controlled by colourful entrepreneur and former hairdresser Vince Stanzione, was found guilty of deliberately keeping callers on the line longer than needed. Viewers of dating channel StarDate TV were encouraged to call in and charged £1.50 a minute."

So, TVC has has had its wrist slapped and been fined £25,000 for ripping-off telephone callers. It now claims that this has jeopardised its whole future operation and is even considering "going private". StarDate TV presumably is the entity which has been closed down.

Did its original business model include overcharging callers, then? Surely not.

Is it simply poor management and control over these calls ? If so the remedy is obvious.

Why cannot it run its operation within ICTSIS guidelines and still turn an honest profit ?

And, what will a private company achieve that the present Plc status cannot ? As I understand it, it is the premium telephone number that ICTSIS monitors plus those responsible for its use by the public.

Friday's trades in TVC share were interesting. 257,000 sold with 157,000 bought and 100,000 in a bargain condition trade. So, who's buying and why ? If these shares are worthless why have any truck with them at all ? Are you buying them all Vince, before you go private and dump us ?

A statement from the directors is now essential.

[timbo003] 26/11/2006 07:36

I managed to locate the web site of the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services ("ICSTIS"), see below



The site lists details of ICSTIS's latest adjudications, the last one up there is dated November 16th 2006, and there seem to be around 2-4 updates a month, so, I suspect details of the TVC ajudication should appear fairly shortly.

[currypasty] 25/11/2006 10:39

"he photo you've seen really IS me ... I really AM a self-made millionaire ... I really DO regularly make over £50,000 a month."

TW@T

[timbo003] 24/11/2006 19:00

It does now look fairly hopeless for us small shareholders, it looks like Vince is going to take the company private, and as he owns > 70% of the shares there's not much to stop him, let's hope the non-execs stand up for the other shareholders and hold out for a decent price.

The warning signs were there for all of us to see.

[ponderer] 24/11/2006 14:56

For a 12 month outlook, I look for stocks based on company growth criteria (eg revenue and profit growth) and on valuation criteria that I have developed over the years (incorporating price earnings growth). I then datamine for outstanding names. Currently on my radar are: Dairy Crest, International Power, Smith (DS) (a new one for the radar), Trifast, UCM Group.

On my momentum value search for stocks based on momentum (eg price moves over the 2 week and 6 month periods) as well as valuation criteria (such as price to earnings growth, dividend yields), names showing up there include: SHL, Chaucer

[powwow] 24/11/2006 13:35

Curry you in these. Seems to me they are going to go private no matter what anyone thinks now. Crooks spring to mind.

[traderabc] 24/11/2006 12:19

How can the be worth 4p? At year end they will have at best 300k and a buisiness that has been regulated to the extent that they can no longer carry on with it. This share has been a disaster for me,to add to my pain is the fact that I had many oppertunities to cut my losses which i didn't take in time.There is a lesson to be learned here, an expensive one in my case.

[currypasty] 24/11/2006 11:39

LONDON (AFX) - TV Commerce Holdings PLC said chief executive Vince Stanzione
bought 500,000 shares at 4p each and now holds 45,567,300 shares, or 70.8 pct of
the issued share capital.



Vince's last buy was 4p... so in my book, thats the minimum they are worth!

[burdetth] 24/11/2006 10:03

Update on Chariot Plc (CRT) Add Favourite

Click here for related discussions
scottrorke - 23 Nov'06 - 15:43


The following is extracted verbatim from the Financial Times on Tuesday, 21 November 2006:-

Chariot shares were flat at 0.75p in spite of continued speculation about a possible bid for the troubled lottery operator. Investment vehicle Astinway has built a 25.1 per cent stake in Chariot. Astinway is led by former banker Roger Coyle, who was a director of investment group Globex. Globex tried unsuccessfully to back into cash shell Roxspur in 2003, having built a 28 per cent stake in the company.

[stewpot2] 24/11/2006 09:06

I know there is little honour in the City, but if Vince drops in the proverbial all those small shareholders that he pursuaded to support him in this, I hope his conscience is clear. Perhaps I am being naive.

[currypasty] 24/11/2006 08:15

this was the interim statement...


Highlights / recent activity


* Turnover of #1 million, 231% ahead on first six months of 2005

* Turnover for the first six months ahead of turnover for full year in 2005

* Maiden pre tax profit of #63,416

* Gross Margin 29%

* Strong second half trading to date with sales for July and August
#0.4 million.



Commenting on the results TV Commerce Chief Executive Vince Stanzione said:

"The growth in revenue and our maiden profit have been achieved by continuing to
evolve what has become a successful platform for interactive television. With
sales in July and August reaching new monthly records for the Group, the Board
remains confident in relation to the outlook for the rest of the year."


For further information, please contact:

TV Commerce
Vince Stanzione Tel: [phone]




looks to me like someone wants to rip shareholders off !

[still waiting] 24/11/2006 08:07

No value here, they are giving you a chance to exit before they offer a low value to delist.

[currypasty] 24/11/2006 08:05

RNS Number:6457M
TV Commerce Holdings PLC
24 November 2006


TV Commerce Holdings PLC
("TV Commerce" or the "Company")

Trading Update


As we said in our interim statement for the six months to June 30, 2006, the
market in which the Company operates has become increasingly regulated.

On November 22, 2006 the Company was informed by its telephony service provider
that the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone
Information Services ("ICSTIS") had issued a formal reprimand and a
fine of #25,000 in relation to a live telephony service, promoted by its daytime
show, which has since been taken off air.

Whilst trading has been profitable in the second half of the year to date, given
the increased intervention of the regulator in this market, the Directors are
concerned for the future viability of the Company's existing business model.
The Board and its advisors are, therefore, currently reviewing the options
available to the Company in relation to the preservation and return of
shareholder value. Such options may include the possibility of taking the
Company private and delisting its shares from the Alternative Investment Market
of the London Stock Exchange.

At November 22, 2006, the Company had a cash balance of #115,000. On the basis
that trading continues until the year end, that further fines are not
forthcoming and that current balances receivable by the Company are received in
full, the cash balance at the end of the year is likely to be approximately
#350,000.

A further announcement will be made as soon as the Board has completed its
review of the options available

[timbo003] 23/11/2006 18:22

A 280K buy at 3.5p, was that Vince again?

[timbo003] 30/10/2006 19:16

Oh well, nice to see the rise in the shareprice eventually, that 100K seemed to do the trick (I wonder if it was Vince buying).

I have been trying to avoid topping up in the open market on my various EIS shares such as TVC (but today was too much of a temptation at 3p/share), as I really do not know how to treat them on disposal, is it "last in, first out", or "first in, first out" and what ever it is, does it apply to income tax relief and CGT deferral? It all looks incredibly complicated at the HMRC web site.