Ofcom finds shows mislead viewers

LONDON (Reuters) - Media regulator Ofcom said on Wednesday an inquiry into TV programmes and quizzes that use premium rate telephone numbers had found that they frequently misled viewers, such as naming fictional winners.

Concerns have been raised about calls costing up to 1.5 pounds per minute that allow viewers to enter quizzes, vote in reality shows and play interactive games.

"This inquiry shows the extent to which there has been a systemic failure of compliance," Ofcom Chief Executive Ed Richards said.

Ofcom said the inquiry found some broadcasters appeared to be in denial about their responsibilities regarding these programmes and that revenue generation was a major driver in the growth of premium rate services.

The regulator said the inquiry concluded that broadcasters must be made directly accountable and that it would recommend amending licenses to include protection for consumers and third-party auditing as well as issuing guidance to ensure fairness and transparency.

"Phoning a TV show isn't like ordering pizza. When you put the phone down, nothing arrives. You just have to trust that your call was counted," said Richard Ayre, a non-executive member of the Ofcom Content Board and leader of the inquiry.

In one case on the Channel 4 programme "Richard and Judy," viewers were asked to ring into a 1 pound-a-time quiz even though the contestants had already been chosen. Premium rate regulator ICSTIS imposed a 150,000 pound fine.

In a separate case, Channel 5 admitted that one of its programmes had used fictional names on the screen for the winners and a member of staff as a winning contestant.

Even the BBC children's favorite "Blue Peter" didn't escape attention after a studio guest posed as a fake competition winner on the show, which resulted in an unprecedented 50,000 pound fine for the public-service broadcaster.

The BBC said it was suspending phone-related competitions on its television and radio channels from midnight Wednesday following a probe into its output since January, 2005.

Interactive and online competitions would be taken down as soon as possible, the BBC added.

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said in a statement that a number of programmes had failed to meet the BBC's stringent editorial standards, which was "totally unacceptable."

He added: "The behavior of a small number of production staff who have passed themselves off as viewers and listeners must stop. We must now swiftly put our house in order."

Part of this process would include putting the BBC's 16,500 programmes and content staff through a mandatory training course.

(Additional reporting by Gavin Haycock)