Kiss caller creates Ofcom investigation

Kiss 100 have escaped censure by Ofcom after a listener used offensive language on the station’s breakfast show in June.

Presenters Melvin and Charlie were taking calls live at around 6.30am from listeners who were owed money. One, who was owed £300 by a friend, was asked if he wanted to “shout him out”. He replied “Yeah… Dom you c**t, give me my f***ing money back!”. The presenters immediately apologised, saying “ooh sorry about that”, “got an idiot on the line” and “what a fool”.

Kiss told Ofcom that all live callers were pre-briefed before going on air about not swearing or causing offence, and that this had been done on this occasion by the co-presenter and producer. There was no indication the caller would behave as he did, and afterwards he was apologetic, and said he’d been “lost in the moment”.

Ofcom noted that this had taken place at 6.30am during the week in term-time, when children were particularly likely to be listening. However, given the procedures that Bauer Media had in place, and the immediate on-air apology from the presenters, the regulator said that it now considered the matter to be resolved.