MUMBAI: Original 106, a Southampton-based radio station owned by Canadian media giant CanWest has been given a "yellow card" warning by Ofcom for playing up to twice as many top 20 hits as its format allows.Original 106, CanWest`s third radio station in the UK, was launched in October last year as an "album-led music service".

But an Ofcom investigation - understood to have been sparked after a complaint by a rival broadcaster in the south of England - found it was playing a higher percentage of top 20 hits than the 35% its licence allows. Ofcom said an "unacceptably high" number of the songs played by the station were mainstream pop hits. The station will operate under a yellow card until Ofcom deems that the issues have been addressed. If Original 106 continues to break its format requirements, the regulator could take further action, including the ultimate sanction, the withdrawal of its licence.