Back in 2012, radio station 2DayFM landed themselves in a whole heap of trouble when DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian prank called King Edward VII Hospital, posing as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles and asking after the royal baby.
Nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who transferred the call, took her own life during the subsequent fallout. 2DayFM suffered a major backlash, with Greig apologising to Saldanha’s family and resigning.
The station’s strife continues, with the release this week of a damning report by the Australian Communications And Media Authority, finding that 2DayFM breached two industry codes, and one condition of its license.
The ACMA currently determining the punishment that the station will face – in the most extreme case, its licence could be suspended, meaning that it could be pulled from the air.
If the move is successful, it will be the first time a commercial TV or radio station has been yanked from the air in Australia.
A representative for 2DayFM has already indicated that they will contest any such ban in court, and ask for a stay of suspension. In the meantime, though, they’ll be staying right he hell away from any more royal babies.
Kate Middleton is currently in St Mary’s Hospital, preparing to give birth to the royal spare that traditionally follows the heir, but per reports in The Daily Telegraph, said baby will simply not be a thing as 2DayFM is concerned.
A confidential email, from the bosses of parent company Southern Cross Austereo, said that “under no circumstances” should the birth of Will and Kate’s baby be reported.
The email circulated on the same day that the ACMA’s report came out.
For their part, Southern Cross Austereo maintain that, “consistent with the findings of the Australian Federal Police and the NSW Police, [the] recording and broadcasting of the call was not an offence under any applicable law.”
Photo: Chris Jackson via Getty Images
