BBC Guilty Of Live Earth Broadcasting Breach

Ofcom has ruled that the BBC must admit to viewers that it breached broadcasting regulations following the airing of repeated swearing during Live Earth coverage on BBC One and BBC Two.

This is one of the regulator’s harshest measures to date on the BBC, with the watchdog saying that the corporation was guilty of a “serious and repeated” failure to comply with broadcast regulations after the ‘f-word’ was used on six different occasions by singers including Madonna and Phil Collins.

Ofcom said it had warned the BBC after offensive language had been used during its coverage of another live concert, Live8 in 2005. But it said the corporation had failed to take sufficient steps to stop it happening again.

The regulator said it “did not accept the BBC’s argument that the fact that the event was ‘live’ meant it would not be appropriate or practicable for the BBC to apply some kind of masking system or delay”.

A summary of the regulator’s findings will be broadcast on BBC One at 7pm on Saturday, April 12, and at 4pm on the same day on BBC Two.

Although Ofcom has previously required the BBC to broadcast statements in cases of fairness or privacy, it is the first time it has been compelled to make an on-air statement in a case relating to broadcast standards.

More than 20 viewers complained to Ofcom about the swearing during the Live Earth concerts last July, whilst around 150 viewers complained to the BBC.

In its finding today, Ofcom said the breaches had taken place on a Saturday afternoon when children were likely to make up a large part of the audience.

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk