Radio Caroline faced a Radio Caroline OFCOM breach after it aired three pre-recorded announcements on 19 May falsely saying King Charles III had died. Ofcom found the station breached rules on due accuracy and fast correction. The error reached listeners on DAB+ before a correction went out 30 minutes later.
The false messages ran during the Barry Marsh Show and said the news media had confirmed the death. They were followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence on DAB+, while AM listeners heard back-up music.
Ofcom Rule 5.1 and Rule 5.2
Ofcom said the broadcast broke Rule 5.1, which requires news to be reported with due accuracy, and Rule 5.2, which requires significant mistakes to be corrected quickly. It described the false announcement as a “very significant inaccuracy” on a matter of “very high public interest”.
That finding gives the incident regulatory weight beyond a routine on-air error. The correction did not follow immediately, and the station’s own timeline shows the inaccurate material remained in play long enough for a national anthem, a silence period, and then a later apology to follow.
Barry Marsh Show on 19 May
Radio Caroline said the mistake began after a staff member doing maintenance accessed pre-recorded obituary files meant for use if the King died. Ofcom said the files were played “out of curiosity”, which cut off the presenter’s remote stream and put the announcements on air.
Radio Caroline said the presenter did not realise they were off air because the programme was being streamed remotely, and would not know unless monitoring output through an internet monitor. The station director, who was across the AM output, heard continuous music instead of the scheduled programme and contacted the engineer.
Radio Caroline in response
A brief apology followed, with the presenter saying the earlier information had been “incorrect” and due to “a technical issue”. Radio Caroline said it “took the matter very seriously” and acted “as soon as possible”.
The station, which said it is “100% volunteer-led”, later reprimanded the staff member involved and moved the obituary files off the studio desktop to prevent a repeat. Ofcom received only two complaints, but the ruling leaves the station with a formal breach record for a false death announcement that stayed on air long enough to trigger a separate correction, silence, and internal fix.
