A British community 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 said.
Radio Caroline, a former pirate station known for its rock music programming, triggered a pre-recorded announcement intended for use in the event of the monarch’s death while carrying out maintenance on a studio computer.
The announcement stated that the station had suspended its normal programming “as a mark of respect” following the death of King Charles III.
The message was followed by the playing of the British national anthem and about 16 minutes of silence before the station’s regular programming resumed.
According to Ofcom, the incident was reported by two complainants and constituted a “very significant inaccuracy”.
The regulator said the station also took too long to acknowledge and correct the mistake, resulting in breaches of 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 errors.
Ofcom said the presenter eventually apologised about 30 minutes after the false announcement was first broadcast.
Radio Caroline explained that the incident occurred while one of its staff members was conducting maintenance on a studio computer as the station’s programme was being broadcast remotely.
The staff member reportedly accessed and played the pre-recorded files “out of curiosity”, inadvertently interrupting the remote presenter’s stream and putting the death announcement on air.
The employee reportedly panicked and left the premises after realising what had happened.
According to the regulator’s account of the station’s explanation, the remote presenter would not have immediately known that they had been taken off air unless they were monitoring the station’s output through an internet monitor.
The presenter, who believed the programme was still being broadcast normally, was not actively monitoring their phone and therefore did not immediately respond to calls from colleagues who had discovered the mistake.
Radio Caroline said the staff member responsible had been reprimanded and had apologised for the incident.
The station also confirmed that the pre-recorded messages relating to the monarch’s death had subsequently been removed from the studio computer.
The incident highlights the importance of safeguards around sensitive pre-recorded material, particularly announcements relating to the death of a head of state, where even an accidental broadcast can cause significant public confusion and distress.
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