House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight

The House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight was a special subcommittee of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, responsible for the oversight of federal regulatory agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission. During the 86th Congress in 1959, the subcommittee was chaired by Representative Oren Harris, a Democrat from Arkansas. The subcommittee is famous for its hearings regarding payola and the quiz show scandals of the 1950s. The investigations conducted led to regulation in the broadcast industry.

November 4, 1959 Representatives Oren Harris (left) and Steven B. Derounian confer during the investigation of quiz shows

Proceedings

The special subcommittee investigated the quiz show scandals and the issue of payola. The aforementioned scandal involved rigged televised quiz shows which were portrayed as legitimate throughout the 1950s, while payola is the act of paying radio stations or disc jockeys to get them to play or promote certain songs.[1] The investigations began in 1959 and continued into 1960.[2] The subcommittee was led by Oren Harris, who first ordered an investigation into quiz shows in October 1959. The hearings attracted much interest from the media and the public. First, the subcommittee sent attorney Richard N. Goodwin to serve subpoenas to central figures in the quiz show scandals. Goodwin was said to have terrorized and threatened those he was serving.[3]

Quiz show hearings

Harris was rumored to have been embroiled in a conflict of interest regarding his financial ties to a television station in his home state of Arkansas. According to speculation, Harris started his pursuit of such stations to clean up his image. The hearings were "standing room only" political theatre.[3]

In 1959 the subcommittee began hearings on the irregularities regarding quiz shows. Charles Van Doren testified at the hearing and admitted that he cheated, explaining that it made for better entertainment. Van Doren stated that he was coached in how to make his behaviors more dramatic. He also admitted that he was given questions in order to beat the reigning champion Herb Stempel on Twenty-One. Van Doren also said that the show allowed him to lose after 15 weeks at his request.[4]

Payola hearings

The subcommittee's first hearings into payola in the music industry were held from February to May 1960. The subcommittee concluded that 255 disc jockeys spanning 42 cities collected a combined $263,000 in bribes.[5] President Eisenhower called it "an issue of public morality". The Federal Communications Commission proposed to make it a crime to be involved in payola.[1]

Wesley Hopkins, a Cleveland DJ, admitted that he had received $12,000 from record companies in 1958 and 1959. The main concern of the subcommittee was a matter of public trust.[1] In another form of payola, DJs would get a songwriting credit, allowing them to receive royalties so that they would be encouraged to play the song.[6] The reputation of Cleveland DJ Alan Freed was damaged by the hearings.[1]

Outcome

As a result of the quiz show investigations, Charles Van Doren pled guilty to perjury.[7] In 1962, Elfrida von Nardroff pled guilty to second-degree perjury. Twelve other former quiz show contestants were also arrested in the scandal.[8]

Payola was made illegal in 1960. In December 1962, after being charged on multiple counts of commercial bribery, DJ Alan Freed pled guilty to two counts of commercial bribery and was fined $300 and given a suspended sentence.[9][10]

The investigations led to federal regulation of the broadcasting industry.[2] The Communications Act Amendments of 1960 (S 1898) called for more regulation of the broadcasting industry. The rigging of game shows was made a federal crime and the FCC was given greater authority. Additionally, any payola had to be disclosed.[11]

Some artists claim that the practice of payola still exists. Jacob Slichter, the drummer for the band Semisonic, said in 2006 that payola was how they turned their song "Closing Time" into a hit. Slichter stated: "It cost something close to $700,000 to $800,000 to get 'Closing Time' on the air."[12] In a 2019 Rolling Stone article, Elias Right reported that payola never went away and has instead become more sophisticated.[13] The investigation found that to get songs on the air, companies pay by other means than cash, such as plane tickets, sports tickets and shoes. Record companies also pay for advertising time on the radio and purchase billboards for those radio stations and merchandise like T-shirts. Payola also takes the form of artist appearances and or performances.[13]

References

"The Payola scandal heats up". History. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
Light, Paul Charles (2014). Government by investigation : Congress, presidents, and the search for answers, 1945-2012. Washington, D.C: The Brookings Institution. ISBN 978-0-8157-2268-7. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
Sharp, Kathleen (2013). Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood : Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire. Boulder: Blackstone Publishing. ISBN 978-1-6206-4774-5. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
Murray, Michael (1999). Encyclopedia of television news. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press. p. 201. ISBN 1-57356-108-8. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
Gaar, Gillian G. (1992). She's a rebel : the history of women in rock & roll. Seal Press. Seattle, Wash.: Seal Press. ISBN 1878067087. OCLC 25873844.
"Alan Freed". New York Times. October 14, 1999. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
Barnes, Nick (20 April 2017). "Albert Freedman, Central Figure in the Quiz Show Scandals of the 1950s, Dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
Sandomir, Richard (December 15, 2021). "Elfrida von Nardroff, 96, Dies; Won Big Money on a Fixed Quiz Show". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
"Alan Freed". Rockabilly Hall of Fame. June 10, 2016. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
"November 21, 1959: Alan Freed, Originator of the Term "Rock and Roll" is Fired from His Job as a DJ!". History and Headline. November 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
"Congress Tightens Broadcasting Regulations". Congress Tightens Broadcasting Regulations. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
Ross, Brian; Walter, Vic (16 February 2006). "Paying to Make It to the Top of the Charts". ABC News Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
Leight, Elias (6 August 2019). "Want to Get on the Radio? Have $50,000?". Rolling Stone, LLC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.