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Spitzer steps up payola probe

M

mwebster

Guest
New York Attorney General (who, by the way, just happens to be running for Governor) steps up his so called investigation into radio payola. All Access reports:
<blockquote>Spitzer Payola Probe Moves To Radio Groups

NEW YORK STATE Attorney General ELLIOT SPITZER says that his office's two-year long payola investigation is turning to the nation's nine largest radio conglomerates. ...

SPITZER said that evidence he has gathered clearly shows some of the radio conglomerates have accepted payments from record companies and middlemen for guaranteed airplay for certain songs. "The behavior has been unethical, improper, illegal and a sanction of some severity clearly should be imposed," said SPITZER. ...

SPITZER claims that the new alleged payola differed from previous payola scandals in that much of the money went directly to the companies as opposed to DJs. "We have people in suits coming in with documents rather than cash payments under the table to a DJ," said SPITZER.

The nine companies that have received subpoenas are CLEAR CHANNEL, CBS RADIO, ENTERCOM, EMMIS, CITADEL, CUMULUS, COX, PAMAL and ABC. </blockquote>
Radio stations taking payments! I'm shocked - SHOCKED! Next you'll tell me politicians tell lies, break promises and accept money from interest groups who want favorable treatment from government officials.

Last week, several groups and inviduals supporting Spitzer's campaign for governor and helping to run the campaign in Western New York announced they obtained an LMA to start a "community based" radio station in Buffalo to run programs from Pacifica Radio, various local activist groups (some of the same ones supporting Spitzer's campaign) plus one or two programs from Air America Radio (a "network" also getting backing from people backing Spitzer). Monday, Entercom pulls a pre-emptive strike and flips heritage blow-torch WWKB (WKBW) to progressive talk (although without any programming from Air America Radio). Now Entercom is one of the companies Spitzer subpoenas. Coincidence?

What's next? Will Spitzer investigate the common practice of talk radio syndicators (including Air America Radio) of making payments to radio stations to clear their shows? No, probably not.
 
> New York Attorney General (who, by the way, just happens to
> be running for Governor) steps up his so called
> investigation into radio payola. All Access reports:
> Spitzer Payola Probe Moves To Radio Groups
>
> NEW YORK STATE Attorney General ELLIOT SPITZER says that his
> office's two-year long payola investigation is turning to
> the nation's nine largest radio conglomerates. ...
>
> SPITZER said that evidence he has gathered clearly shows
> some of the radio conglomerates have accepted payments from
> record companies and middlemen for guaranteed airplay for
> certain songs. "The behavior has been unethical, improper,
> illegal and a sanction of some severity clearly should be
> imposed," said SPITZER. ...
>
> SPITZER claims that the new alleged payola differed from
> previous payola scandals in that much of the money went
> directly to the companies as opposed to DJs. "We have people
> in suits coming in with documents rather than cash payments
> under the table to a DJ," said SPITZER.
>
> The nine companies that have received subpoenas are CLEAR
> CHANNEL, CBS RADIO, ENTERCOM, EMMIS, CITADEL, CUMULUS, COX,
> PAMAL and ABC.
> Radio stations taking payments! I'm shocked - SHOCKED!
> Next you'll tell me politicians tell lies, break promises
> and accept money from interest groups who want favorable
> treatment from government officials.
>
> Last week, several groups and inviduals supporting Spitzer's
> campaign for governor and helping to run the campaign in
> Western New York announced they obtained an LMA to start a
> "community based" radio station in Buffalo to run programs
> from Pacifica Radio, various local activist groups (some of
> the same ones supporting Spitzer's campaign) plus one or two
> programs from Air America Radio (a "network" also getting
> backing from people backing Spitzer). Monday, Entercom
> pulls a pre-emptive strike and flips heritage blow-torch
> WWKB (WKBW) to progressive talk (although without any
> programming from Air America Radio). Now Entercom is one of
> the companies Spitzer subpoenas. Coincidence?
>
> What's next? Will Spitzer investigate the common practice
> of talk radio syndicators (including Air America Radio) of
> making payments to radio stations to clear their shows? No,
> probably not.
>

Have any of you reading this ever been to your local grocery store? As you go up and down all the different isles and see all the many items displayed for sale. Do you realise that the makers of all those goods pay the store to put them there on those shelves? And the more the makers pay the better the location on the shelves they get! Whats the difference between that and what happens at your local radio station group? I think the AG and the FCC worry too much!!!! The public could care less! The AG is just trying to make a name for himself and as was said above he is running for governor you know!!!!!

And besides all that, music by whomever, and the items on those shelves are just that! Products to be sold!
 
Hi everyone:

> Have any of you reading this ever been to your local grocery
> store? As you go up and down all the different isles and see
> all the many items displayed for sale. Do you realise that
> the makers of all those goods pay the store to put them
> there on those shelves? And the more the makers pay the
> better the location on the shelves they get! Whats the
> difference between that and what happens at your local radio
> station group? I think the AG and the FCC worry too much!!!!
> The public could care less! The AG is just trying to make a
> name for himself and as was said above he is running for
> governor you know!!!!!
>
> And besides all that, music by whomever, and the items on
> those shelves are just that! Products to be sold!

This is EXACTLY why the worlds of PODCASTING and Internet Radio (and ultimately TV) exist. Look at it this way....

Those who want to listen and/or watch to the same o' same' crap corporate media spits out can do so (Though I wonder WHY).

Those who want to watch and/or listen to stuff that's more "progressive" and ORIGINAL (not to mention FREE OF CENSORSHIP) can do so.

I say LET Spitzer make a name for himself. He'll soon realize that he can't run for Governor AND investigate corporate media and the RIAA at the same time. By running for Governor, HE IS PLAYING RIGHT INTO THEIR HANDS because EVERYONE knows that the corporate conglomerates and the RIAA would love NOTHING MORE than to see Spitzer GO AWAY like a little bug before he gets stepped on and smashed.

In short, on EVERY player, there's a little thing called an OFF switch. Next time you get annoyed at something you hear on the radio or see on TV - (Terrestrial OR Internet) OR even something you see or hear on a podcast, USE THE SWITCH. It's the most logical thing to do. :)

Just a few thoughts :)

Cheers :)

Pat<P ID="signature">______________
patspodcast03a.jpg

http://patspodcast.blogspot.com/
Radio? Uhh.....What's THAT?? :)</P>
 
> And besides all that, music by whomever, and the items on
> those shelves are just that! Products to be sold!

That's exactly the attitude that is apparently held by those running the big music labels and the major radio station groups.

That attitude is also the reason why so much of what is being released and played is just plain and simply dull. Perhaps if more of these folks had a passion for their business instead of just considering it to be "just another product to be sold", maybe that passion would be contagious and might actually ignite some passion amongst listeners.
 
> > And besides all that, music by whomever, and the items on
> > those shelves are just that! Products to be sold!
>
> That's exactly the attitude that is apparently held by those
> running the big music labels and the major radio station
> groups.
>
> That attitude is also the reason why so much of what is
> being released and played is just plain and simply dull.
> Perhaps if more of these folks had a passion for their
> business instead of just considering it to be "just another
> product to be sold", maybe that passion would be contagious
> and might actually ignite some passion amongst listeners.
>
The last time that actually happened was during the middle to late 60's when there was hundreds of different labels competiting for airplay and hit records and that would be the only way it would ever happen again. But first the major radio groups would have to be "pulverized" into tiny tiny tiny pieces! Ain't going to happen!
 
> Hi everyone:
>
> > Have any of you reading this ever been to your local
> grocery
> > store? As you go up and down all the different isles and
> see
> > all the many items displayed for sale. Do you realise that
>
> > the makers of all those goods pay the store to put them
> > there on those shelves? And the more the makers pay the
> > better the location on the shelves they get! Whats the
> > difference between that and what happens at your local
> radio
> > station group? I think the AG and the FCC worry too
> much!!!!
> > The public could care less! The AG is just trying to make
> a
> > name for himself and as was said above he is running for
> > governor you know!!!!!
> >
> > And besides all that, music by whomever, and the items on
> > those shelves are just that! Products to be sold!
>
> This is EXACTLY why the worlds of PODCASTING and Internet
> Radio (and ultimately TV) exist. Look at it this way....
>
> Those who want to listen and/or watch to the same o' same'
> crap corporate media spits out can do so (Though I wonder
> WHY).
>
> Those who want to watch and/or listen to stuff that's more
> "progressive" and ORIGINAL (not to mention FREE OF
> CENSORSHIP) can do so.
>
> I say LET Spitzer make a name for himself. He'll soon
> realize that he can't run for Governor AND investigate
> corporate media and the RIAA at the same time. By running
> for Governor, HE IS PLAYING RIGHT INTO THEIR HANDS because
> EVERYONE knows that the corporate conglomerates and the RIAA
> would love NOTHING MORE than to see Spitzer GO AWAY like a
> little bug before he gets stepped on and smashed.
>
> In short, on EVERY player, there's a little thing called an
> OFF switch. Next time you get annoyed at something you hear
> on the radio or see on TV - (Terrestrial OR Internet) OR
> even something you see or hear on a podcast, USE THE SWITCH.
> It's the most logical thing to do. :)
>
> Just a few thoughts :)
>
> Cheers :)
>
> Pat
>
I do just that everyday or just change the station!
 
Interesting timing

ABC is all over this. ABC has just gotten out of the radio business.


Note: We seem to go from one extreme to another. First people cut and paste whole -long- articles and re-post them here. Now people are just posting links without any summary or comment or any reason why I should want to bother with it. Got to be a middle ground here.
 
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