Curious employee triggers accidental broadcast of King Charles death report
A Radio Caroline staffer accidentally aired a pre-recorded report on King Charles III’s death, prompting a regulator review and public apology.
Key Takeaways
AIA curious employee at Britain’s Radio Caroline accidentally broadcast a pre-recorded report announcing the death of King Charles III.
The UK media regulator confirmed the station violated broadcasting rules after airing the announcement of King Charles III’s death during a radio program in May.
The mistakenly aired report stated, “We are suspending our regular programming until further notice in mourning for the death of His Majesty King Charles III,” followed by the national anthem and about 16 minutes of silence.
The station later apologized, clarifying that the report was false and had been broadcast due to a technical error. The regulator’s investigation revealed that an employee performing maintenance on the studio computer accessed and played the pre-recorded files out of curiosity, unaware they would go live on air. Realizing the mistake, the employee stopped the files and left the premises in panic.