Complex sentence: When the franchise was announced in 1981 Angela Rippon's contract with the BBC was about to expire, and was not renewed as a result of her new employment, leaving her seeking freelance work before TV-am went on air.
Split into simpler sentences: When the franchise was announced in 1981 Angela Rippon's contract with the BBC was about to expire, and was not renewed as a result of her new employment. This left her seeking freelance work before TV-am went on air.