King Charles’ Death Report Mistakenly Airs on Radio Station After Staffer Played Announcement ‘Out of Curiosity’

A U.K. radio station that mistakenly aired reports that King Charles died in May breached broadcast standards, the country’s media regulator Ofcom said.but .... SEE THE NEXT pages for more... On May 19, Radio Caroline aired three pre-recorded statements claiming that King Charles, 77, died during The Barry Marsh Show. The Office of Communications (Ofcom) said it received two complaints about the reports, which interrupted regular music programming. In the third statement, the radio station said “news media” confirmed King Charles died. The national anthem was then played before one of the statements was repeated. There was then about 16 minutes of silence, according to Ofcom’s report. After the moments of silence, regular programming resumed. The host apologized to listeners about 30 minutes after the statements aired, confirming King Charles 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. In its Monday, Aug. 10, bulletin, Ofcom said it considered the situation a breach of two rules under the Broadcasting Code. “News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality,” reads the first code. “Significant mistakes in news should normally be acknowledged and corrected on air quickly. Corrections should be appropriately scheduled…” reads the second code. Radio Caroline, which mostly broadcasts music from the 1960s to today, said the host’s show was streaming from a remote location at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, a staffer was performing maintenance on a studio computer and found the three files prepared for King Charles’ death. Radio Caroline “explained that these files are accompanied with ‘a set of strict instructions to presenters and managers’ to follow before being aired, but, 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,” Ofcom’s bulletin reads. After the staffer realized what happened, they stopped playing the files and left the office. The show’s host, who was on a call, did not notice that they had been mistakenly aired. After the host realized an incorrect program was being streamed, he contacted a station engineer who already knew what happened and was investigating. They then switched to the regular program. Radio Caroline “took the matter very seriously, and much activity was taking place during those 30 minutes leading up to the apology” and the station’s staff acted “as soon as they could,” the station told Ofcom. The staffer who played the incorrect files was “reprimanded” and has since “apologized,” the station told Ofcom, adding that the files now exist on an external hard drive. Hosts and staff were also “reminded of the relevant procedures,” the station told Ofcom. SOURCE: PEOPLE

King Charles’ Death Report Mistakenly Airs on Radio Station After Staffer Played Announcement ‘Out of Curiosity’

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