BBC fined 400,000 pounds for fake quizzes

by SOLARLIFE | July 30, 2008 at 12:51 pm

180 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

BBc staff Member of one show won price
30 Jul 2008 ... Several staff members were disciplined.
The BBC said the DJ, who hosts the mid-morning show,
was unaware that the caller was not a member of more>

BBC fined 400,000 pounds for fake quizzes (Reuters)

30 July 2008 Print E-mail LONDON - Media watchdog Ofcom fined the BBC 400,000 pounds on Wednesday, the largest financial penalty it has ever issued against the public broadcaster, for misleading the public through fake quizzes and competitions.

Ofcom said eight BBC shows, four on TV and four on the radio, were guilty of "very serious" failings.<?xml:namespace prefix = o />

"The investigations found that in come cases the production team had taken pre-meditated decisions to broadcast competitions and encourage listeners to enter in the full knowledge that the audience stood no chance of winning," Ofcom said.

"In other cases, programmes faced with technical problems made up the names of winners."

The most serious case, which attracted a fine of 115,000 pounds, related to editions of the Liz Kershaw Show on BBC radio 6 Music from July 2005 to January 2007.

Although some editions of the programme were pre-recorded, they were broadcast as live and included quizzes where listeners were encouraged to participate.

Fictitious names were then presented as the "winners" of these competitions, with about 10 members of the BBC's production staff posing as callers.