Psychic show falls foul of watchdog
TV3’s late night broadcast Psychic Readings Live has fallen foul of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland after the watchdog upheld four complaints against it.
The complaints upheld ranged from the claim from a psychic that he could tell the future, to “predicting” a pregnancy and to allowing offensive material be broadcast during a phone call.
The complaints were made under the Broadcasting Act 2009 and in the latest tranche, the BAI’s Compliance Committee upheld four complaints and resolved one, while three complaints were resolved by the Executive Complaints Forum.
All four complaints upheld related to Psychic Readings Live on TV3, specifically to broadcasts on July 8, Aug 27, Sep 5 and Sep 7. The resolved issue related to a broadcast on Sep 6.
The July complaint was made by Brian More, who stated that a call was broadcast in which comments he described as “disgusting” were made. He also claimed TV3 showed a complete lack of responsibility regarding what they allowed to be transmitted.
In response, TV3 said Psychic Readings Live meets all regulatory requirements and this was an “isolated incident”, with steps taken to ensure there was no repeat, including a 15-second delay on calls. The BAI upheld the complaint.
The second complaint, linked to the August broadcast, was from a viewer who claimed a caller to the show asked when she would have her next grandchild. The complainant said the host responded “there is a grandchild coming; it will be a girl in my opinion, but I think your daughter is pregnant already. I’m not a doctor, get more information from your doctor, but there is a grandchild coming”.
The complainant said the host “feigned surprise at his producer’s comments that he was not allowed to talk about pregnancy”. The show been in trouble on a similar issue and the complainant believed the producer’s comments were “nothing more than a blatant ruse to avoid repercussions”.
TV3 said it had recently requested that psychics refrain from making predictions on pregnancy and stressed the programme was an “entertainment service” but the BAI also upheld this complaint, and one that alleged that a psychic had said he could tell the future.
* www.bai.ie
