Radio station in breach of Ofcom rules after falsely announcing King’s death

The incident in May has finally been ruled on by Ofcom

The message appeared during The Barry Marsh Show on Radio Caroline, with pre-recorded audio telling listeners that regular programming had been stopped as a “mark of respect” following the King’s supposed death. 

The national anthem was then played before the station went silent for around 16 minutes.

The announcement was completely false, and the presenter later returned to explain that the message had been broadcast because of a technical problem. He apologised to listeners and said he had not personally heard the recording when it was played.

Ofcom slams Radio Caroline

The incident was subsequently investigated by Ofcom after two people complained about the broadcast. The regulator ruled that Radio Caroline had failed to meet requirements covering accurate and impartial news reporting, as well as the need to quickly correct serious mistakes on air.

Ofcom described the false report as a “very significant inaccuracy” because it concerned an issue of particular public importance. 

It also found that listeners were left waiting around half an hour before the station issued an apology and clarification.

According to the regulator, the presenter stopped the recordings once he realised there was a problem, but then “panicked and left the premises”. 

The station director only became aware of the issue after hearing continuous music instead of the scheduled show. He contacted the engineer, who confirmed they already knew about the problem and were investigating it.

The presenter later addressed the mistake on air, telling listeners that the announcement they had heard was false and had been triggered by a technical fault.

Radio Caroline said it "took the matter very seriously" and insisted that they acted "as soon as possible" once the problem was identified.