British radio station Radio Caroline has issued an apology after accidentally announcing the death of King Charles III during a broadcast. The incident occurred on Tuesday when the station interrupted the song 'What's Up?' by 4 Non Blondes to air a false bulletin.
The Mistaken Announcement
The announcement stated: 'This is Radio Caroline. We have suspended our normal programmes until further notice as a mark of respect following the passing of His Majesty King Charles III. His Majesty King Charles III has passed away. As a mark of respect, we will now be playing suitable continuous music until further notice.' The station then played a rendition of 'God Save The King' before later realising the error.
Computer Error Blamed
Station manager Peter Moore explained in a Facebook statement that the bulletin was accidentally activated due to a computer error. 'The Death of a Monarch procedure, which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (19 May), mistakenly announcing that HM the King had passed away,' Moore wrote. 'Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology.'
Background on Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline was founded as a pirate radio station in 1964 and initially broadcast from international waters. It was part of a movement to challenge the BBC's monopoly on British radio and bring contemporary pop and rock music to listeners. Today, it is a licensed station available online, on 648 kHz AM, and on DAB+ in some parts of the UK. It also has two spin-off channels: Radio Caroline Flashback and Radio Caroline North. The station's former pirate ship, Ross Revenge, is moored on the River Blackwater in Essex and is open for tours.
Moore added: 'Caroline has been pleased to broadcast Her Majesty the Queen's, and now the King's, Christmas message and we hope to do so for many years to come. We apologise to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused.'
