Fines For Radio Stations

The Radio Authority has fined Leicester Sound £5,000 for failing to reach the minimum speech levels required in its programming.

Spectrum International Radio has also been fined £5,000 for failure to observe the rules on due impartiality and undue prominence. A discussion programme aimed at Asian listeners featured undue prominence of particular views from a politician, without a satisfactory balancing view. Also, a commercial voiced by a presenter was not sufficiently distinguishable from the programme in which it was included. The Authority also found that a series of programmes aimed at Iranian listeners was not duly impartial, and gave undue prominence to particular views. Spectrum was fined £2,000 in April for similar offenses *Spectrum In The Soup Again. The Authority has repeated its earlier warnings that more serious sanctions would be imposed in the event of further breaches.

*Subscribers only

Radio Authority: 0171 430 2724