talkRADIO fined £75,000 for George Galloway comments

National digital station talkRADIO has been fined £75,000 after three complaints about former presenter George Galloway were upheld by Ofcom.

The station will also have to broadcast a summary of the regulator’s findings, relating to comments made on air between March and August 2018.

The first complaint related to a discussion on the poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, while the second and third concerned allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

Ofcom ruled last year that each of the three programmes failed to maintain due impartiality and had breached Rules 5.11 and 5.12 of the Broadcasting Code.

Mr Galloway left the station in June last year, after comments he made on Twitter.

In making its decision to issue a fine, Ofcom said it had ‘carefully considered the nature and level of statutory sanction that should be imposed’, taking into account ‘the seriousness of the breaches, the Licensee’s representations, the Licensee’s size and financial position, and relevant precedent cases’.

“In Ofcom’s view, this sanction is appropriate and proportionate in the circumstances of this case, and should send a clear message of deterrence, both to the Licensee and also to other
broadcasters, against any future breaches of a similar nature,” the regulator said.

You can read today’s ruling from Ofcom in full here.