UK Radio Station Mistakenly Aired King Charles Death Report ‘Out of Curiosity’

Radio Caroline, a British radio station, mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III on May 19, according to Ofcom, the UK's media regulator. The error occurred during "The Barry Marsh Show" when a staff member played pre-recorded announcements out of curiosity. Three statements were aired, declaring the King dead, and the national anthem was played before one of those statements was repeated.

The station then went silent for about 16 minutes for listeners on DAB+, while AM listeners continued to hear music. Radio Caroline explained that an employee, while performing maintenance on a studio computer, discovered the pre-recorded files meant for use in the event of the King's death. Despite strict instructions on when these could be aired, the staffer played them out of curiosity.

After realizing the mistake, the staffer stopped the files, became panicked, and left the premises. Programming resumed roughly 30 minutes later, with an apology and correction for the false report. Ofcom ruled that Radio Caroline breached two provisions of its Broadcasting Code, including the requirement for due accuracy in news reporting and the need for quick correction of significant mistakes.

The regulator called the report a "very significant inaccuracy" due to the repeated announcements, the claim that news media had confirmed the King's death, and the playing of the national anthem. Radio Caroline acknowledged the incident as very serious and stated that the staffer was reprimanded, apologized, and the recordings were removed from the studio computer to prevent further accidental broadcasts.