BBC Hit with £400,000 Fine by Ofcom

LONDON, July 30: Citing “unfair conduct” in several TV and radio phone-in competitions, Ofcom has fined the BBC a total of £400,000, the highest penalty ever levied against the pubcaster.

Ofcom maintains that the BBC breached the Broadcasting Code in several instances, where winners were faked and audiences misled. BBC Two and CBBC’s TMi received the biggest fine among the TV shows, of £50,000, while Comic Relief and Sport Relief on BBC One each received a £45,000 fine, and Children in Need’s levy was £35,000.

Two radio shows received much stiffer penalties: £115,000 for the Liz Kershaw Show for several incidents on BBC 6 Music from 2005 to early 2007, and £75,000 for The Jo Whiley Show on BBC Radio 1 in 2006. Two further shows on BBC 6 Music each received £17,500 fines.

Ofcom said it considered that these breaches “were very serious. In each of these cases the BBC deceived its audience by faking winners of competitions and deliberately conducting competitions unfairly.”

The regulatory authority added: “Overall, Ofcom found that the BBC failed to have adequate management oversight of its compliance and training procedures to ensure that the audience was not misled.”

Responding to the Ofcom action, BBC said in a statement: "We have taken these issues extremely seriously from the outset, apologizing to our audiences and putting in place an unprecedented action plan to tackle the issues raised. This includes a comprehensive program of training for over 19,000 staff, rigorous new technical protections, new guidance to program-makers on the running of competitions and a strict new Code of Conduct. Ofcom has recognized that neither the BBC nor any member of staff made any money from these serious editorial lapses. Whilst we must never be complacent and must remain constantly vigilant, audience research suggests the comprehensive action we have taken is rebuilding the trust of viewers and listeners."

—By Mansha Daswani