Evening star., 1959-12-14
PAYOLA

identified by a false name and
address.
Sometimes the person thus
spontaneously interviewed in
making the scandalous state
mentS will use five or six
aliases in order to give the i'm
preston that these comments
are coming from different per-
sons. At election time this de-
vice is sometimes used effec-
lively.
When the person maligned
requests the script or tape of
such programs, he is informed
that it had been destroyed i'm
mediately after the program.
This raises the question: Does
a license have a greater right
to immunity than does a news
paper respecting publication of
ananymous slander?"
The memorandum also notes
that the staff has received
numerous complaints about
programs which "glorify crime
and falsely depict the activities
Of law enforcement officials"
In its tentative analysis of
complaints Of psyola in gen.
eral, the memorandum said
there were indications that the
practice went far beyond disc
jockeys and comparatively
minor employees of radio and
TV stations.
Outside Interests
Network officials according
to information received by the
subcommittee have interests
in programs, record companies,
~ blishing companies and
other commercial ventures
such as backing of broadway
shows which receive favored
use of of the broadcasting fa-
cilities owned or controlled by
the network.
Another abuse repeatedly
complained Of to the subcom-
mittee is that record manufac-
turers sometimes require a re-
cording artist to sign away all
his royalty rights before the
record will be manufactured
and then made available to the
public through disc jockeys and
so forth.
Another complaint now
made in increasing numbers is
that artists and repertoire men
of the recording companies
who book the songs that are to
be recorded and who decide
what the public is to hear are
receiving payola in sums far
exceeding those paid to disc
jockeys"
Other Complaints Noted
Also being examined by the
investigators are complaints
that: S.
Stations affiliated with a
network favor the broadcast
ing of records made by a rec
ord company owned by the net
work; some station employees
own a percentage of talent
which performs on programs:
checks are made out some
times to juvenile talent who
cash them and return the
money to the station employees.
Station employees own in
whole or in part record COM
panieS, record pressing CON-
panleS or music publishing
companies and repeatedly play
the music originating from
these companies, accompanied
by representations that such
records are either the top 10
or the top 40 and so forth.
Song writer's whose songs
are used extensively on $500
radio stations receive no COM
pensation for such use.
Ratings are rigged. Allega-
tions are that a systematic ap-
proach is made to key retail
sellers throughout the country.
whereby for money the record
sellers will falsely state that a
certain record or records are
the ones which have been the
best sellers.
Gifts of a large volume of
free records are made to sta
ton employees who in turn take
them to retail record stores and
nave them sold at a discount;
record hops are used to pro-
mote outside interests of sta
ton employees; compensation
talent on record hops finds its
way into the pockets of station
employees; payoffs are made to
station employees by music pub
llShers. record makers and dis
trioutorS in the form of ficti-
tlouS loans, mortgages, consul
tation fees and so forth"