Virgin apologise for O’Connell

Virgin Radio have apologised unreservedly for playing a non-radio edit of a song during the Christian O’Connell breakfast show – after just one listener complained about the incident.

The station was ‘horrified and disappointed’ that the unedited version of Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ had been played during the breakfast show. Unfortunately, the CD version of the song had been selected, rather than the radio edit.

Ofcom report: “A listener complained that a record containing offensive language was played at breakfast time on two subsequent days. While the presenter apologised the first time, explaining that an unedited version had been played by accident, the same unedited track was played the following day. The complainant had been listening in her car with her children and thought the lyrics inappropriate.”

The broadcaster pointed out that this track had been played 943 times since its release and never before had it played the wrong version. In view of this incident more stringent measures had been put in place to ensure that this did not happen again.

In responce to the complaint, Ofcom said: “..in view of the station’s apology and assurance that further measures had been put in place to avoid such a repetition, we consider the matter resolved.”


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