Radio Caroline Breaches Ofcom Rules Over Erroneous Royal Death Announcement

What Happened

During a broadcast of The Barry Marsh Show on May 19, Radio Caroline transmitted three pre-recorded obituary files falsely stating that the news media had confirmed the death of King Charles III. The announcements were followed by the national anthem and roughly 16 minutes of silence on the station's DAB+ digital signal. Listeners on the AM frequency heard backup music during this period. The scheduled presenter, who was streaming the show remotely, remained unaware that the broadcast had been hijacked by the incorrect files.

According to an Ofcom investigation, a staff member performing maintenance accessed the obituary files out of curiosity and inadvertently placed them on air. Upon realizing the error, the individual stopped the audio, panicked, and left the premises. It took approximately 30 minutes from the initial broadcast for the station to issue a correction and apology, attributing the incident to a technical issue.

Why It Matters

Ofcom ruled that the station violated Rules 5.1 and 5.2 of the broadcasting code, which mandate that news must be reported with due accuracy and that significant errors must be corrected quickly. The regulator categorized the event as a "very significant inaccuracy" regarding a matter of high public importance. While Radio Caroline noted it received only two complaints and operates as a volunteer-led organization with limited resources, the regulator maintained that the half-hour delay in correcting the record was unacceptable given the nature of the false report.