Radio Show That Pranked Kate Middleton's Hospital Has Been 'Terminated'; Company Bans Prank Phone Calls
In an outcome that seemed inevitable as soon as news broke of Kate Middleton's nurse's suicide, Southern Cross Austereo has announced the "termination" of the radio program that aired the prank call to King Edward VII Hospital in London.
In a statement, 2Day FM's parent company said that its employees "take the events of the last few days very seriously" and announced it had taken the following actions:
- Cancelling 2Day FM's Hot 30 show
- Suspending all advertising on 2Day FM "until further notice"
- Instituting a company-wide suspension of prank phone calls
- Ordering a "comprehensive review of relevant company policies and processes"
SCA added that "several attempts" were made by the production team to discuss the segment with the hospital prior to airing, but that these were unsuccessful.
A spokesman for the hospital says the station "did not speak to senior management or the company that deals with our media enquiries" before airing the call.
The segment was subjected to internal review (including legal review) before it was authorized for broadcast, in accordance with company policy.
In the DJs' first interview following the news of Jacintha Saldanha's death, host Mel Greig said she couldn't imagine returning to the airwaves any time soon:
"I don't even want to think about going back on air, to be honest."
The statement concluded by offering "deep and sincere condolences" to Saldanha's family and stating that the company is "also providing support to our people who are deeply saddened by this tragic and unforeseen event."
