Commercial radio station Talksport have been found guilty of breaching broadcasting rules by regulator Ofcom over an incident last November which saw former presenter Jon Gaunt describe a local councillor as a “Nazi”.
Despite Mr Gaunt apologising on-air concerning remarks made in an interview with Redbridge councillor Michael Stark about foster care, Talksport sacked the presenter after an internal investigation into the incident, which saw Ofcom receive 53 complaints.
The regulator said it found the language used and overall conduct of the interview had the potential to cause offence to many listeners and that there was insufficient editorial justification for the offensive material.
Despite not imposing a fine it remained concerned about Talksport’s record in dealing with problematic material being broadcast live and warned that the incident may be used as evidence if there’s a further breach of rules.