Radio station reprimanded for airing listener's cell number

The listener phoned a presenter on the presenter's personal cell phone to take issue with certain comments made on air that the listener felt to be racist. The presenter invited the listener to repeat the complaint on air, and then broadcast the listener's cellphone number and invited listeners to phone the person, who chose to remain anonymous, to debate the issue further with him. This was done without the listener's permission.

A member of the public complained to the BCCSA on behalf of the listener, arguing that the broadcasting of the cell number was an invasion of privacy. The commission felt that it was in the public interest for them to consider the complaint even though it did not come from the aggrieved listener.

In their judgment the BCSSA said that even if the listener knew that he was on air and thereby moved into the public domain, this did not justify the presenter's conveying his cell phone number to the public. Only an emergency would allow for such information to be broadcast without the permission of the person involved, the judgment continued. It considered the presenter's actions as "an over-reaction to the conduct of the listener".

As P4 Radio had a clean record the station was merely reprimanded by the commission and instructed to send a letter of apology to the aggrieved listener.