Radio Caroline breached Ofcom rules after mistakenly announcing King's death
Summary
Radio Caroline mistakenly announced King Charles III’s death during a broadcast on May 19, using pre-recorded messages meant for the event of his passing. The media regulator Ofcom ruled this as a breach of rules, saying the station did not report news accurately and failed to correct the mistake quickly.Key Facts
- Radio Caroline aired three false announcements claiming King Charles III had died.
- The false messages included the national anthem and silence on digital radio; AM listeners heard backup music.
- The mistake happened when a staff member played pre-recorded obituary files out of curiosity during maintenance.
- After realizing the error, the staff member stopped the broadcast and left the studio.
- Ofcom said the incident broke rules requiring accurate news and fast corrections.
- Radio Caroline apologized on air about 30 minutes later and reprimanded the staff member responsible.
- The obituary files were removed from easy access to prevent another mistake.
- Radio Caroline is a volunteer-run station that began as an offshore pirate radio in 1964 and often has presenters broadcasting remotely.
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