Further Fines for BBC

LONDON, December 19: British media regulator Ofcom has imposed fines totaling £95,000 on the BBC for so-called "live" phone-in competitions during pre-recorded shows on its radio services.

A £70,000 fine has been imposed for incidents on Dermot O’Leary’s show on Radio 2, with an additional £25,000 for Tony Blackburn’s program on BBC London. In all instances, viewers were invited to call in and participate in competitions that they had no chance of entering or winning, as they aired during pre-recorded programs. BBC Trust has ordered the pubcaster to deliver on-air apologies.

They latest levies add to the £450,000 in fines already imposed on the BBC for botched phone-in competitions.

Responding to the fines, the BBC said: "These historical breaches were tackled by a comprehensive action plan launched by the BBC in July 2007. This included a major program of training for over 19,000 staff, a new specialist unit to provide advice on all technical aspects of running competitions and a strict new Code of Conduct. We welcome Ofcom’s recognition of the extensive action taken to address these issues and that neither the BBC nor any member of staff made any money from these lapses."

—By Mansha Daswani