Ofcom today said it has contacted German authorities as it investigates whether Kiss FM owner Bauer is a “fit and proper” broadcaster, after complaints that it publishes a magazine that is said to glorify German Second World War soldiers.
The British regulator has been forced to act after receiving a string of letters, including from London media banker Bruce Fireman and Liberal Democrat peer Lord Palmer.
Fireman claims Bauer’s decision to publish military magazine Der Landser in Germany also raises questions about the company’s suitability to buy Absolute Radio, whose presenters include former England footballer Ian Wright, in Britain.
Ofcom has contacted Germany’s Federal Review Board for Media Harmful To Minors, the regulator responsible for monitoring issues such as coverage of war atrocities.
“Ofcom has a duty to be satisfied on an ongoing basis that the holder of a broadcasting licence is ‘fit and proper’,” said a spokesman.
Bauer said none of its publications “trivialise or glorify National Socialism or war crimes”.
