Radio Caroline breached rules after false King Charles death announcement

The UK media regulator, Ofcom, has ruled that Radio Caroline breached broadcasting rules after mistakenly announcing the death of King Charles III during a May broadcast. The incident occurred during ‘The Barry Marsh Show’ when a staff member, performing maintenance on a studio computer, accessed and played pre-recorded obituary files ‘out of curiosity’.

The accidental broadcast included three messages stating that normal programming was suspended as a mark of respect following the monarch's passing. This was followed by the national anthem and approximately 16 minutes of silence. A correction was not issued until roughly 30 minutes after the initial error, which Ofcom cited as a failure to promptly acknowledge and correct significant mistakes.

Ofcom determined the station violated two key rules: the requirement for news to be accurate and impartial, and the obligation to correct significant errors on air quickly. The regulator described the false announcement as a ‘very significant inaccuracy’ regarding a matter of high public interest. Radio Caroline has since reprimanded the staff member and updated its procedures, including moving sensitive files to external drives to prevent future occurrences.