(Monday, January 19, 1976) — Promoter Bill Sargent today offered the four former Beatles an unprecedented $30 million to reunite for a single concert in the United States, six years after the famed British rock group split up.

Sargent, a Hollywood-based entrepreneur who made his fortune in the emerging field of pay-per-view television, said the one-time performance could gross as much as $300 million worldwide. The concert would be transmitted on closed-circuit television and, he said, stand as the most lucrative entertainment event ever staged.

Sargent said he sent telegrams this morning to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, guaranteeing each of them a share of the $30 million advance against a percentage of the final take. The only requirements, he said, were that the quartet perform together for at least 20 minutes.

Despite the staggering sum, representatives for the former Beatles indicated the musicians had no interest in accepting the proposal. The group, which officially dissolved in 1970, has repeatedly dismissed speculation about a reunion.

Sargent said he would keep the offer open but conceded that the chances of seeing the four men on the same stage again remain slim.