A UK radio station breached broadcasting rules after it mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III during a May broadcast, the country’s media regulator, Ofcom, has ruled.
Radio Caroline, a former pirate station now known largely for its rock music programming, had aired messages falsely announcing the death of the monarch before subsequently apologising.
One of the messages stated that normal programming had been suspended “as a mark of respect” following the reported death of King Charles III.
The announcement was followed by the playing of the national anthem and about 16 minutes of silence before the station resumed its regular programming.
According to Ofcom, the presenter apologised about 30 minutes after the messages were initially broadcast.
The regulator said it had received two complaints over the incident and found that the “very significant inaccuracy” and the delay in correcting the error breached two broadcasting rules.
One of the rules requires news reports to be accurate and impartial, while another requires broadcasters to promptly acknowledge and correct significant mistakes.
Radio Caroline explained to Ofcom that the incident occurred while a member of staff was carrying out maintenance on a studio computer as the programme was being streamed remotely.
The staff member reportedly accessed pre-recorded audio files prepared for use in the event of the monarch’s death and played them “out of curiosity”.
The action interrupted the remote presenter’s stream and caused the pre-recorded messages to be broadcast on air.
Ofcom said the staff member “panicked and left the premises” after realising what had happened.
The station explained that the remote presenter would not have immediately known that they were off air unless they were monitoring the programme through an internet-based monitor.
The presenter, who believed the programme was still broadcasting normally, was not actively monitoring their phone and therefore did not immediately respond to calls from colleagues who had noticed the error.
Radio Caroline told Ofcom that the staff member responsible had been reprimanded and had apologised for the incident.
The station also said the pre-recorded files relating to the monarch’s death had since been removed from the studio computer.
The incident highlights the importance of safeguards around pre-recorded emergency material, particularly when broadcasters operate remotely.
— AFP
