UK media regulator Ofcom ruled Monday that independent station Radio Caroline breached broadcasting standards after accidentally airing pre-recorded announcements claiming King Charles III had died.
The incident occurred during a May broadcast of "The Barry Marsh Show" when a staff member performing routine studio computer maintenance accessed emergency obituary files. According to Ofcom’s official ruling, the employee played the restricted audio "out of curiosity," unintentionally overriding a live remote presenter and broadcasting a statement that normal programming was suspended following the monarch's passing.
The false announcement was followed by the British national anthem and roughly 16 minutes of dead air on the station's digital feed.
Radio Caroline officials stated that the staff member panicked after realizing the mistake and left the building. The remote presenter was unaware the station was off air because he was not actively monitoring the live feed. Station leadership issued an on-air apology approximately 30 minutes later, but regulators determined the delay violated Rule 5.1 regarding news accuracy and Rule 5.2 requiring prompt corrections for major errors.
Ofcom characterized the false report as a "very significant inaccuracy" involving a matter of major public interest. Radio Caroline confirmed the employee was reprimanded and apologized, adding that the pre-recorded royal obituary files have since been permanently deleted from the primary studio computer to prevent future incidents.
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