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BBC fined 400,000 pounds for fake quizzes

Media watchdog Ofcom fined the BBC 400,000 pounds on Wednesday for misleading the public through fake quizzes and competitions.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 14:15 July 30, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • 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.
  • Image Credit: Screenshot

London: Media watchdog Ofcom fined the BBC 400,000 pounds on Wednesday 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.

The production team had taken pre-mediated decisions to broadcast competitions and encourage listeners to enter in the full knowledge that the audience stood no chance of winning.

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 May 2005 to January 2006.

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.

The TV programmes were: Comic Relief, Sport Relief, Children in Need and CBBC programme TMi.

The Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1, and programmes presented by Russell Brand and Clare McDonnell on BBC 6 Music were also affected.

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