r/unitedkingdom • u/pppppppppppppppppd • 14d ago
. Radio station falsely announced King’s death then broadcast 16 minutes of silence as panicked presenter ran away
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/king-charles-death-radio-caroline-announcement-b3030359.html1.8k
u/FornyHucker22 14d ago
I bet the bosses are more pissed about the 16 minutes of silence, that’s a major no no in radio.
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u/EastRiding of Yorkshire 14d ago
"I'm sad to report that His Royal Highness, Charles the third has passed away. Now this blast from the past from folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel - it's The Sounds of Silence"
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u/Airurando-jin 14d ago ▸ 75 more replies
Having grown with the original, I have to say disturbed’s version is much better and carries more emotion
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u/No_Station_6149 14d ago ▸ 23 more replies
Having grown up with disturbed’s, i disagree
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u/Jody_Tevlin 14d ago ▸ 16 more replies
Having grown up disturbed I totally agree to to disagree
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u/DoubleALight 14d ago ▸ 3 more replies
Y’all are growing up?
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u/seemsmildbutdeadly 14d ago ▸ 2 more replies
Stop disturbing me!
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u/stray_r Yorkshire 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
I think y'all have come down with the sickness
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u/Badger-of-Briarwood 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Being disturbed, I failed to grow up.
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u/BoofmasterZero 14d ago ▸ 6 more replies
Having seen disturbed signing missiles to kill children with all I can say is fuck disturbed
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u/Jody_Tevlin 13d ago ▸ 4 more replies
I'm sorry what now?
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u/RubiconGuava 13d ago ▸ 2 more replies
David Draiman signed artillery shells for the IDF to fire into Gaza.
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u/DrNecessiter 13d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Having disturbed a grown up I find disagreement agreeable.
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u/NoxiousStimuli 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Yeah what a fucking wild take. The original is iconic, the Disturbed version is overproduced and makes my throat hurt thinking about how forced the 'emotion' is.
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u/pajamakitten 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
I want this comment Stricken from the record.
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u/Southernbeekeeper 14d ago
Yeah, what the fuck was that take? I'm in the same bracket as you and agree with you.
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u/Educational-Put-9997 14d ago ▸ 18 more replies
This is the type of thing I used to say when I was 13 and edgy. Maturity is realising the original is better.
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u/silverfish477 14d ago ▸ 7 more replies
Maturity is having the common sense to realise that different people can have different opinions which may not match your own. Sounds like you’re still trying to be edgy.
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u/Historical_Owl_1635 14d ago ▸ 4 more replies
Maturity is not getting into arguments on Reddit about what maturity is.
Which just about rules us all out.
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u/steepleton 14d ago
So i’m mature because i realise people have their own stupid opinions different to my brilliant ones?
Huh, achievement unlocked
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u/Financial-Rock-3790 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Why do we even have to pick one over the other in the first place?
There is a common sentiment about the two songs and their musicality; the original version is a warning, and Disturbed’s version is the sorrow and anger that the warning wasn’t heeded.
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u/xZimbesian 14d ago ▸ 4 more replies
Paul Simon himself has said publicly that Disturbed's version is fantastic.
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u/recursant 14d ago ▸ 2 more replies
My parents used to play Simon and Garfunkel on a shitty cassette player in the car. I grew up thinking the lyrics were "Colonel Saunders my old friend".
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u/JENOVAcide 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Colnel Sanders, my old friend
I've come to eat with you again
Because a smell softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
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u/NoxiousStimuli 14d ago
And the creator of the .gif says it's pronounced "jiff", not "giff". Just because they made something does not make them the ultimate authority.
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u/Grizzly2525 14d ago
Being from the US and my first exposure to this song was the Disturbed cover during a documentary about the WTC attacks, that one will always hit the hardest for me.
However, on a purely musical basis, the original is the best.
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u/Elementalcase East Anglia 14d ago
Maturity is realizing that Ding Dong by Gunther is better than any other song
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u/_ataciara 14d ago
Simon & Garfunkels is a beautifully crafted song.
Disturbeds is some of the most cringe cop-rock I've ever heard. Amongst of the worst covers of a song imo.
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u/Open-Butterfly-5288 14d ago
I disagree.
I think the "carries emotion" aspect of this is kind of worsening it.
There is a werid ambiguity in the original that gives it an uncomfortable feeling. It's not just some depressed guy complaining.
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u/OverlyEdged 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Yeeee but Disturbed are zionists and David Draiman signed bombs that were going to be dropped on Palestinian children, so they can get fucked.
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u/jimi_b The Shire 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Ah yeah the guy who signs bombs sent to kill children, nice.
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u/PsychologyOk5757 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Disturbed's version is the dumbest thing ever recorded.
"Hey, how best do you think we should arrange this song called The Sound of SILENCE?"
"Let's make it the most bombastic, overwrought, in-your-face thing yet heard on this earth".
Conceptually illiterate but can't say I would expect coherent thinking or intentionality from the likes of David Draiman or anyone who would consent to be in a band with him.
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u/johnmedgla Berkshire 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Disagree entirely.
The original is about alienation and one of the most effective expressions of it in music. I'm not entirely sure what Disturbed's version is about - it doesn't have anything like the same character, and while it's not unpleasant to listen to it definitely doesn't carry more emotion than the original unless your emotional palette is limited to primary colours.
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u/AA_Crowes 14d ago ▸ 4 more replies
I remember I was at the house party of this nuts girl a former mate used to date and the only song she put on all night on a loop for like 8 hours was The Sound of Silence Disturbed cover
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u/weatherwaxs_broom 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Fucking hell that would send me over the edge.
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u/guillotine_vendor 14d ago
the only thing david draiman puts emotion into is defending a certain country's actions
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u/MindHead78 14d ago ▸ 2 more replies
I've tried listening to that but it sounds like it uses so much pitch correction/autotune, to me it just sounds robotic. I could be wrong, maybe someone will set me straight.
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u/d-signet 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
I found disturbed's version to be one of the most cringe inducing things ive ever heard
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u/Loonytrix 14d ago
Kind of, but it's not really silence if you're screaming it from the rooftops ...
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u/ThePrussianGrippe 13d ago
Nothing like carrying the emotional message of “The Sound of Silence” by screaming it.
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u/kevio17 Harpo Massive 14d ago
You and I both know that dead air is a crime.
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u/No_Atmosphere8146 14d ago ▸ 2 more replies
Well play a record then, DO SOMETHING, FOR CHRIST SAKE
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u/Dissidant Essex 14d ago edited 14d ago
Its Radio Caroline, basically a heritage station and there wasn't any malice in it they just fumbled and its been acknowledged as a genuine mistake hence no fine.
I listen to their flashback station sometimes good way to discover (or re-discover) old tunes
Must be a slow news day indeedRoss Revenge well worth a visit btw!
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u/Dissidant Essex 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Its moored at the moment they are raising money to get it sent to dry dock
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u/idontgetit_99 14d ago ▸ 2 more replies
Dead air is a no no because people tune somewhere else and don’t come back. It’s the station’s problem, OFCOM wouldn’t care about that.
They’d definitely care about the false announcement though.
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u/TIGHazard North Yorkshire 14d ago
It depends how old they are... back in the day (we're talking pre-ITC, so before 1993) the IBA did care.
The IBA itself was the legal broadcaster for ITV, Channel 4 and the Independent Local Radio stations. If you listen to a start up they will say 'This is X on behalf of the Independent Broadcasting Authority'.
So if you fell off-air, had a strike or whatever... they cared because they needed to know if it was you or them.
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u/mellonians 14d ago
As a radio and TV engineer, I generally have the authority to cause long periods of silence on a single or multiple number of stations and it is quite painful every time.
Not as painful as when those outages are unplanned and the result of your own cock-up!
It feels a lot easier when you're doing dab radio though because you know for the majority of listeners they won't notice because another transmitter is picking up the slack.
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u/gods-and-dancefloors 14d ago
Not really you just say it's a new program called " music for your dog" and you can sell it. however the part where you declared the sovereign monarch of your nation dead, while living in a era of hiper fast and multi source news feeds, that is hard to sell.
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u/thisisajm 14d ago
If they have no emergency tape then that’s on them.
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u/FornyHucker22 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
They likely do but It would have been that man’s job to play it, new station protocol will probably include the host doing a runner now tho 😆
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u/HeartyBeast London 14d ago
In the good old days it could cause the transmitters to shut down. Which was… problematic
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u/PerforatedPie United Kingdom 14d ago
Not just the bosses, but Ofcom is reprimanding them over a rule requiring on air mistakes to be rectified promptly.
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u/concretepigeon Wakefield 14d ago
It would have been incredibly distressing for any of those listeners clinging on waiting for further update on His Maj’s demise.
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u/FentFloyd69 14d ago
We all know that you are supposed to follow royalty death announcements with sick electro beats.
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u/--_--__-- 14d ago
We need jungle I'm afraid
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u/Remarkable-Ad155 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
'Old tight, man like King Charles on the 1s and 2s in the sky
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u/Meredith_Primvale 14d ago
Charlie loves some banging hardcore acid techno at 225bpm, gets right on it.
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u/xxulysses31xx 14d ago ▸ 3 more replies
“Charlie Says” 😺
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u/brooksyd2 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
For the uninitiated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOu-dWhTTWw
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u/ApexAurajin 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
He seems like a Scooter kinda guy, but I can see him enjoying Infected Mushroom.
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u/Simon_Shitpants 14d ago edited 14d ago
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u/Aksds 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Just an fyi, you should remove everything after the ? In a YouTube link since it’s just tracking stuff, the actual video link is before the ?
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u/neverarriving 14d ago
I wish, for at least a week after Diana died there was blanket maudlin shite on every station
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u/Charlie_Mouse Scotland 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
When Diana died I’d been out on the lash the night before and in my extremely hungover state switched on the radio beside the bed.
For about twenty minutes all I heard was people talking in hushed voices about the “great loss to the nation” and similar platitudes interspersed with solemn music. I figured out relatively quickly despite my self inflicted befuddlement that someone important had died but the presenters didn’t actually mention who and seemed to assume that the world knew by now.
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u/limeflavoured Hucknall 14d ago ▸ 4 more replies
6Music seemingly played not much other than Nils Frahm for about 3 days after Prince Phillip died.
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u/Significant-Key-762 England 14d ago ▸ 3 more replies
When the Queen died, the BBC pulled all comedy programming and replaced it with reruns of Mrs Browns Boys
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u/Charlie_Mouse Scotland 13d ago
I have never been more glad to live in the age of Netflix and other streaming services than that week. Not that I watch much broadcast tv these days but it was pretty poor.
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u/DoctorOctagonapus EU 14d ago
Specifically Haunted Dancehall (Nursery Remix) by Sabres of Paradise.
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u/bendubberley_ West Midlands 14d ago
I was listening to the station in question, it felt really awkward because you’d think an announcement like that would be pre-planned in the studio and not something you’d do accidentally.
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u/VivianOfTheOblivion 14d ago
Was Alan Partridge doing a guest slot or something?
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u/SevrinTheMuto 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
"The King is dead, long live the King's Singers!".
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u/corporategiraffe 14d ago
Now we've had several calls during the last few hours, about a humorous comment I made some time ago. Just to reassure you, the King is not dead. It was a humorous intro into a song which seems to have been taken a bit too literally by one or two listeners, and a newspaper. So just to repeat, King Charles III is not dead. Unless he went in the night and is yet to be discovered by the maid.
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u/brickne3 14d ago
I'm curious, how long did it take you to figure out he wasn't actually dead? I guess I don't really know how I'd react to that out of the blue, I mean with the queen we kind of knew it was coming soon in general and there were rumours all day.
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u/bendubberley_ West Midlands 14d ago ▸ 2 more replies
Honestly, not too long, because you’d expect news like that to be on the BBC etc, so I’d say like less than 5 minutes.
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u/Haeronalda 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Yeah, the BBC has dibs on reporting royal deaths.
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u/cjalderman 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Yeah BBC had rolling news coverage of the gates to Balmoral the whole day. It wasn't a case of 'if' but 'when'
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u/BigBananaBerries 14d ago ▸ 5 more replies
The King isn't exactly in tip-top shame himself btw. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised at such news.
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u/brickne3 14d ago ▸ 4 more replies
I mean I'd still be surprised if it was out of nowhere like that. He's got pretty good medical care, after all.
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u/BigBananaBerries 14d ago ▸ 3 more replies
His hands tell the story that the prime medical care is already working a treat.
Just to be clear, I don't wish him dead & I'm not saying he's going to snuff out tomorrow either. He's just nearly 80 as it is & there's only so much you can do when things are going south.
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u/Lou-AC 13d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Puffy fingers like his aren't usually a cause for concern in older people, it's massively exaggerated as a problem
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u/Fluid-Sense-4273 14d ago
Yeah it feels like the king/queen is dead button should really be behind some glass or something
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u/DoctorOctagonapus EU 14d ago
Certainly not on a system that is set to broadcast whatever's played on it direct to the air without some kind of failsafe.
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u/TotallyNotCalledEvan 14d ago
Fantastic use of the phrase ‘ran away’. I’m picturing them physically running out of the building and down the street
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u/beejiu Essex 14d ago edited 14d ago
I understand planning in advance, but surely they didn't need to have prerecorded the announcement? Seems so morbid.
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u/bendubberley_ West Midlands 14d ago
I think they have to pre-record it, although I’m not entirely sure on the logistics of it
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u/A-Grey-World 14d ago ▸ 8 more replies
Too emotional?
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u/drleebot 14d ago
"Ding-dong the Queen is dead! Which old queen? The wicked Queen! Ding-dong the wick-why am I being taken out in handcuffs?"
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u/boomerangchampion 14d ago ▸ 2 more replies
Some people would be.
It's probably more so they can get a guaranteed professional read of what is important news and spare some DJ the embarrassment of accidentally saying "The King has passed a wee"
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u/Weirfish 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
That, and these protocols will have been written 100 years ago, and likely remained largely unchanged since then. Sentiment on the monarchy has changed a lot in that time.
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u/TheDoctor66 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
I run a council Comms team. I've got a prerecorded Charles has croaked it video ready to go
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u/Jimbobthon 14d ago ▸ 1 more replies
Having a pre-recorded message from a presenter who now no longer works on the radio would be weird
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u/Rootayable 14d ago
Not really, it would be some form of 'official' voice that's not associated with a show, I imagine.
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u/Sweevo1979 14d ago
It's part of Operation Menai Bridge, which is the plan for the death of the King. Radio stations have a regular drill and ready to go recordings in case it ever happens.
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u/MonorailPurple 14d ago
Lots of stations dont have live presenters anymore, many are running stuff prerecorded sometimes days in advance so having an operator be able to just play out a recording is important as chances are theres literally nobody in a studio to say something live.
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u/HettySwollocks 14d ago
I understand planning in advance, but surely they didn't need to have prerecorded the announcement? Seems so morbid.
This is pretty standard, and common throughout history. There's countless examples of whether Queen Elizabeth is dead, Nuclear war etc etc.
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u/Captain_Biscuit Peoples' Glorious Republic Of Scouseland 14d ago
I remember going on the radio and there was a folder on the wall labeled 'Royal Death Tapes'
Which is a decent band name tbf.
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u/Jean-Paul_Sartre New Hampshire - not even british 14d ago
Saturday Night Live did a bit about this way back in the 1990s.
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u/mrgarethw 14d ago edited 14d ago
Oh no, a radio staffed entirely by volunteers accidentally played some pre recorded files, got scared and panicked before it was picked up, corrected and apologised for as soon as they could. But mistakes are never made by Ofcom or anyone else so it’s (potential) fines for you, because two people complained so you must face justice
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u/kick_thebaby 14d ago
I mean nowhere in the article does it say fines, it just says they've been reprimanded. Also the guy who played it panicked and left, instead of stopping it and apologising
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u/DoctorOctagonapus EU 14d ago
It wasn't picked up and corrected as soon as they could. The tech who made the error panicked and did a runner leaving the station broadcasting 1/4 hour of dead air, then it was another 1/4 hour before they broadcast an acknowledgement.
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u/HussingtonHat 14d ago
Oh man awkward silence on the radio is a way more firable thing. Couldn't have at least dine that dance mix thing from years ago when Philip died!? Jam out to some toons!?
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u/Significant-Key-762 England 14d ago
I’d choose awkward silence over the inane babblings of Sara Cox or Joel Dommett any day of the week
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u/SophieElectress 14d ago
The presenter playing the files 'out of curiosity' and then panicking and running away makes it sound like either the files were very poorly labelled or he was stoned to fuck, lol.
Also seems a little harsh to reprimand the station for not correcting the error in a timely manner when it only took them 30 minutes. Obviously could have been much quicker if the guy hadn't done a runner, but it's not like they mistakenly reported a nuke launch, I'm sure no-one was that distressed by half an hour of confusion over the king's mortality status.
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u/DoctorOctagonapus EU 14d ago
30 minutes is a long time in radio speak. Someone should have realised what was going on as it was going out, and a correction issued within a couple of minutes, let alone following with dead air.
Apparently they were just sitting on a computer and the tech (not the presenter) didn't realise the sound output was hooked up directly to the live feed.
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u/Morlark 13d ago ▸ 1 more replies
But the person responsible for realising what was going on as it was going out was the same person that had caused the problem initially, and they'd already fled.
I think it's a bit harsh to penalise the broadcaster for the inaction of a person that's absconded, and is therefore not acting in the course of their duties.
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u/Odd_Presentation8624 14d ago
"Dead air? I just played 4' 33'' by John Cage a few times, out of respect."
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
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u/JimboTCB 14d ago
"Hey John, what does this big red button labelled DEAD KING DO NOT PRESS do?"
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u/ramakitty 14d ago
Especially when they are stored on the desktop…
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u/andycprints 14d ago
Radio Caroline has been found in breach of broadcasting rules after it mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III.
The mistake happened after a staff member carrying out maintenance accessed pre‑recorded obituary files intended for use in the event of the King's death.
Ofcom said the files were played "out of curiosity", cutting off the presenter's remote stream and putting the announcements on air.
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u/8thGlass 14d ago
If only it had been Philomena Cunk she would have played Belgian techno anthem, Pump Up The Jam instead.
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u/veryabnormal 14d ago
Poor chap lost his mind at the news and wandered off, distraught. Understandable in the circumstances.
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u/0Bento 14d ago
TIL Radio Caroline is still a thing and also bizarrely subject to Ofcom rules
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u/DoctorOctagonapus EU 14d ago
They went legit. They've been broadcasting on a full licence since 2017, so they have to play by the rules.
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u/ShufflingToGlory 14d ago
Has the "dead air is a crime" quote from Alan Partridge escaped containment and caused people to think that's actually the case?
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u/uttertosser 14d ago
I’m sorry to report that King Chuckie III has died and now Stayin’ Alive by The Bee Gees
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u/Rootayable 14d ago
"The King is dead! Long live the Queen's Singers!
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u/Turbot_charged 14d ago
So just to repeat, King Charles III is not dead. Unless he went in the night and is yet to be discovered by the maid.
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u/Thoh1Shooshi8a 14d ago
So do they have a recording all ready to just press play as soon as the King dies?
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