Radio Caroline, which celebrated its 60th birthday in 2024, has been found in breach of broadcasting regulations after mistakenly announcing the death of King Charles III. The incident occurred on 19 May during the Barry Marsh Show, when the station aired three pre-recorded announcements falsely stating that the monarch had passed away.
The messages claimed that the “news media” had “confirmed” the death. These broadcasts were followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence on DAB+ channels, while AM listeners heard back-up music. A correction and apology were not broadcast until 30 minutes after the incident began.
An investigation by the media watchdog Ofcom revealed that a staff member had accessed pre-recorded obituary files intended for use in the event of the King’s death. Ofcom stated that the files were played “out of curiosity,” which cut off the presenter’s remote stream and put the announcements on air.
According to the ruling, once the staff member who accidentally played the files realized what they had done, they stopped the audio, “panicked and left the premises.” Ofcom concluded that the incident breached Rule 5.1, which requires news to be reported with due accuracy, and Rule 5.2, which mandates that significant mistakes must be corrected quickly.
The regulator described the false announcement as a “very significant inaccuracy” on a matter of “very high public interest.” Radio Caroline explained that the presenter did not realize they were off-air because they were streaming the programme remotely, a common practice for the station.
The station noted that its presenter “would not realize that they had gone ‘off air’ unless they were monitoring their output via an internet monitor.” Furthermore, the station director, who monitors the AM output, was on a call when the announcement occurred. He only noticed the issue when he heard continuous music instead of the scheduled programme and contacted the engineer, who was already investigating.
A brief apology was subsequently made, with the presenter stating the earlier information had been “incorrect” and attributed it to “a technical issue.” Radio Caroline stated that it “took the matter very seriously” and acted “as soon as possible” to rectify the situation.
In response to the breach, the station confirmed that the staff member involved has been reprimanded. Additionally, the obituary files have been moved off the studio desktop to prevent any repeat of the incident. Radio Caroline also highlighted that Ofcom received only two complaints regarding the broadcast.
The station emphasized that it is “100% volunteer-led” and lacks the resources of larger broadcasters. Founded in 1964 as an offshore pirate station, Radio Caroline broadcast from a ship until 1991, when it was shipwrecked off the Kent coast. The station remains based off the north-east Essex coast, though many of its presenters now broadcast their shows remotely.
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