Radio station mistakenly airs King Charles death announcement after staffer plays files 'out of curiosity'

A UK radio station mistakenly broadcast pre-recorded announcements claiming King Charles had died after a staff member played the files "out of curiosity", prompting the station to breach broadcasting rules, according to the country's media regulator.

Radio Caroline aired three statements reporting the 77-year-old monarch's death during The Barry Marsh Show on May 19. The broadcast also included the national anthem before approximately 16 minutes of silence. The station later resumed regular programming and apologised, confirming that the reports were false.

The incident happened while the show's presenter was broadcasting remotely. According to Ofcom, a staff member performing maintenance on a studio computer found the pre-recorded files prepared for use in the event of King Charles' death. Despite strict instructions governing the files, the staffer played them "out of curiosity", interrupting the remote broadcast and putting the announcements on air.

The staff member stopped the files after realising what had happened and left the office. The presenter, who was on a call at the time, did not immediately notice the interruption. The station eventually switched back to regular programming, with the host apologising about 30 minutes after the false reports aired.

Ofcom ruled that Radio Caroline had breached two sections of the Broadcasting Code, relating to accuracy in news reporting and the requirement to quickly acknowledge and correct significant mistakes. The regulator said it received two complaints about the broadcast.

Radio Caroline told Ofcom that it took the incident seriously. The staffer was reprimanded and apologised, while the sensitive files have since been moved to an external hard drive. The station also reminded presenters and staff about the procedures surrounding the material.