A U.K. radio station breached broadcast standards after mistakenly airing King Charles III’s death announcement in May, according to a new report.
Earlier this year, three prerecorded statements were played during Radio Caroline’s The Barry Marsh Show, one of which claimed that “news media” confirmed Charlies died.
After the third statement aired, the national anthem was played. One of the messages was repeated, followed by about 16 minutes of silence, per the country’s media regulator Ofcom (Office of Communications). Regular programming resumed after the moments of silence.
About 30 minutes after the statements aired, the host apologized on air and confirmed that Charles, 77, was not dead.
“I’ve just been informed that we’ve played in error some information a little earlier. I didn’t hear this myself, but it is incorrect, it’s a technical issue, and of course we apologize,” the host said at the time.
According to Ofcom, the incident was considered in breach of two rules from the Broadcasting Code.
“News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality,” one rule reads, while the other notes, “Significant mistakes in news should normally be acknowledged and corrected on air quickly. Corrections should be appropriately scheduled.”
Radio Caroline explained in the report that the show was being streamed from a remote location. A staff member was performing maintenance on the studio computer and accessed three files that were prerecorded in the event of Charles’ death.
The station further noted that there is a “set of strict instructions” for “presenters and managers” when it comes to airing the prerecorded files. However, the report stated that “out of curiosity, the member of staff played the files, which stopped the stream from the presenter’s remote location, and broadcast the files on air.”
After the staff member realized what happened, they stopped the files and then “panicked and left the premises,” per the report.
The host was on a call when the announcement aired and did not immediately notice the files were aired. He eventually called the station engineer, who “had already become aware” and was investigating what went wrong. The correct program was then played.
Radio Caroline told Ofcom that they “took the matter very seriously, and much activity was taking place during those 30 minutes leading up to the apology.” The radio station said they had acted “as soon as possible.”
The staff member who played the files has since been “reprimanded” and “apologized.” The station’s prerecorded files now exist on an external drive for access “only when necessary.” Hosts and staff members were also “reminded of the relevant procedures.”
Radio Caroline alleged that only two complaints about the announcement were received, claiming that the mistake likely “caused minimal offense or distress.” The station also noted that they are “usually very careful” but are “a 100 percent volunteer led organization” and do not have the same resources as larger broadcasting companies.
