Problems with the BBC’s Crisis Management
April 2009
Russell Brand Show aired on BBC Radio 2 on 18 October 2008 eventually became a big scandal. In the recorded program, the host and guest co-presenter made prank calls to a British actor and left an obscene and slanderous message to his family member on the answering phone, and the whole process was broadcast. The BBC received more than 40,000 complaints from the listeners. Prime Minister Gordon Brown criticized the content. The president of the BBC himself made an apology. Controller of BBC Radio 2 and the head of compliance resigned. The show was taken off air. These consequences show the significance of the impact.
Many problems have been pointed out regarding the scandalous broadcast, ranging from the production process and decision-making process before the show was broadcast to relationships with subcontract production companies. These issues would serve as lessons for other broadcasters, too. Based on the final report submitted by BBC management and materials compiled by the BBC Trust, this article examines how broadcasters should control broadcast content and crisis management in this Internet and video-on-demand age.