music news Down Beat January 7, 1959 Vol. 27, No. 1 i ex- a to lired Payola Probe—Continued i are mes. A lull came just before Christmas. ipor- But if the activity of payola probers had oists. simmered down, it was by no means ) ap- over. Rep. Oren Harris, head of the jined House Subcommittee on Legislative non- Oversights, announced that public payola hearings would be held late in January. If things were quiet on the surface, the rumblings went on underneath. Two more disc jockeys were fired by their station—Cleveland's KYW, Westing­ house-owned AM-FM station. Cleveland is known as a pattern-setting or hit­ making city. The two canned jockeys— Joe Finan and Wes Hopkins—denied being involved in payola. All the shakeups were not confined to small-fry anc radio. As an aftermath city’s of the 1 V probe into rigged quiz shows, Jazz Louis Cowan, president of CBS tele­ SILVER FOR SILVER FROM BLUE NOTE toked vision. turned in his resignation. At least one company has decided to see that jazz artists get something similar to the recognition .ched- Meantime, the Federal Communica­ given pops artists in the form of golden records. Although jazz records don't sell in the million-disc tions ( ommission had ordered every category, Alfred Lion, owner cf , decided that a silver record of recognition i jazz was in order. The first winner: . Celebrating the event are, left to right, standing. >iano, broadcasting company in the country to Lion and Joe Termini, owner of the Five Spot, (who gave the party for the event); and seated. tunes report within a month whether any , (behind Lion's arm), Ira Gitler, Silver, Leonard Feather, and, in silhouette near the Pride; payola has figured in its operations with­ camera, Gene Taylor. mond in the past year. Probably as a result Hiked of this FCC order, stations all over the This requires identification of program veloped before the actual public hear­ country were looking into the behavior material by source or sponsor. For vio­ ings have begun. of disc jockeys. lations of the section, the FCC can is­ In the meantime, Down Beat learned Further indication of how seriously sue simple reprimands, or start pro­ of a six-jockey payola syndicate, re­ the federal government takes the radio ceedings to suspend the station's license, portedly involving DJs in , Cin­ and TV scandal came when the Justice or turn a case over to the Justice De­ cinnati, and . One of these is so Department and the Federal Trade partment for prosecution. The penalty powerful in payola that he is known Commission reached an agreement to provided is a maximum two years in as The King. institute criminal prosecution proce­ prison and $10,00*; fine. The New York Post carried a story dures against deceptive TV commercials Evidently, the disclosures to date are quoting “a major independent record in food, drugs, or cosmetics. The gov­ but a hint of things to come. The gov­ manufacturer” as saying he’s been pay­ ernment wasn’t playing games, and ernment agencies interested—the FCC, ing close to $10,000 a year to disc payola operators could expect the same the FTC, the Harris subcommittee, and jockeys to induce them to play his rec­ kind of crack-down (see Take Five, in New York, district attorney Frank S. ords. ought Page 17). Hogan’s office—indicated that they are “Sometimes they want not only /eden. The FCC moved in on the payola now getting down to digging in for de­ money, but sex.” he said. “That’s what Miss receiving end—radio and TV stations. tailed information on payola. it’s come to in this business.” i New The FTC moved against the giving end: Hogan’s office has focussed its activi­ Whether the government bodies con­ John it issued complaints against three rec­ ties to some extent on Alan Freed, the cerned by payola would get as tough as blues ord manufacturers. RCA Victor, Lon­ rock ’n’ roll disc jockey suspended by they have on tricked-up TV commer­ yalties don Records, and Bernard Lowe Enter­ WABC and WNEW-TV in New York. cials would not be known at least until record prises of Philadelphia—and against six Hogan is working closely with the late January. But already, the effect on > sing- distributors. As pointed out in the last Harris subcommittee, which evidently the music business has been salutary: trn to issue of Down Beat, the actual handing plans to stay out of New York so as good pop music was beginning to be over of cash to disc jockeys is usually not to interfere with the work of heard as take artists nervously began Pitts- done by distributors. Hogan’s office. In any case, the Harris to cool it and stations instituted their io . . . Some hint of the law under which subcommittee is not likely to get back own investigations to try to head off ce the payola operators might be nailed was at its task until late January. Congress more serious trouble that might occur a one given the practice is covered by Sec­ meets Jan. 6. Subcommittee probers evi­ if they wait for federal agencies to un­ tion 317 of the Communications Act. dently want to have their case well-de­ cover the dirt. January 7, I960 • 13

J