UK radio broke rules in announcing king's death: watchdog
UK media regulator Ofcom ruled that Radio Caroline broke broadcasting rules after accidentally announcing King Charles III’s death.
The UK broadcasting authority, Ofcom, has penalised Radio Caroline for inadvertently announcing the death of King Charles III during a May transmission. The community radio station, which now predominantly plays rock music, aired false messages declaring the monarch's demise, accompanied by the national anthem and a prolonged silence.
Radio Caroline acknowledged the error 30 minutes later, apologising on air. The regulator's investigation revealed that the mishap occurred when a staff member, while carrying out maintenance on the studio computer, played pre-recorded files intended for the event of the king's passing, due to curiosity. The misinterpretation led to the live broadcast of the files, disrupting the regular programme.
Radio Caroline maintained that the individual responsible for playing the files had been reprimanded and had subsequently apologised, while noting that the pre-recorded files had been removed from the studio computer.
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