King Charles Death Hoax Leaves Radio Caroline Facing Ofcom Breach After 'Very Significant' Broadcasting Blunder

Radio Caroline has breached Ofcom rules after accidentally broadcasting a fake announcement claiming King Charles III had died, in an extraordinary on-air blunder that was followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence.

The incident happened during the Barry Marsh Show on 19 May, when three pre-recorded announcements falsely stated that news organisations had confirmed the King's death. While DAB+ listeners heard the anthem and silence, AM listeners were played backup music. A correction and apology were broadcast around 30 minutes later.

False King Charles Death Announcement

The pre-recorded messages were intended to be used in the event of King Charles III's death but were accidentally played during the live schedule.

According to Ofcom's ruling, the announcements claimed the King had died and that the information had been confirmed by news organisations. The false report was then followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence on DAB+.

The incident was eventually interrupted, with the station acknowledging that the earlier information was incorrect and attributing the broadcast to a technical issue.

Ofcom said the incident was particularly serious because it concerned the death of the monarch, describing it as a matter of 'very high public interest.'

King Charles Obituary Files Played 'Out of Curiosity'

Ofcom found that a member of Radio Caroline's staff accessed the pre-recorded obituary files while carrying out maintenance work at the station.

The files were reportedly played 'out of curiosity,' causing the presenter's remote stream to be cut off and replacing it with the pre-recorded material.

The staff member realised what had happened after the announcements went on air. According to the Ofcom ruling, they stopped playing the files, 'panicked and left the premises.'

Radio Caroline said the presenter was broadcasting remotely and would not necessarily know they had been taken off air unless they were monitoring the station's output through an internet monitor.

The station director was monitoring the AM service but was on a telephone call when the false King Charles death announcement was broadcast. He became aware there was a problem after hearing continuous music instead of the scheduled programme and contacted the engineer.

Radio Caroline Breached Broadcasting Regulations

Ofcom ruled that Radio Caroline breached Rule 5.1, which requires news to be reported with due accuracy, as well as Rule 5.2, which requires significant mistakes to be corrected quickly.

The watchdog described the false announcement as a 'very significant inaccuracy.'

Ofcom also noted that the station received only two complaints about the incident. Radio Caroline said it took the matter seriously and acted as soon as possible after discovering the error.

The broadcaster issued a brief apology approximately 30 minutes after the false announcement.

Radio Caroline Moves Royal Obituary Files

Radio Caroline said the staff member involved had been reprimanded following the King Charles death hoax.

The station has also moved its pre-recorded obituary files away from the studio desktop in an effort to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Radio Caroline pointed to its status as a '100% volunteer-led' operation and said it does not have the same resources as larger broadcasters.

The station was founded in 1964 as an offshore pirate radio broadcaster and originally transmitted from a ship. It continued broadcasting from offshore until 1991, when its vessel was shipwrecked off the Kent coast.

Today, Radio Caroline remains based off the north-east Essex coast, with many presenters broadcasting their programmes remotely.