Broadcasting Commission to probe payola

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Stating that the media is “deeply implicated” in the practice of payola, chairman of the Broadcasting Commission Dr Hopeton Dunn is pushing for criminal charges to be brought against people involved in the practice. Payola refers to the practice of bribing influential people in exchange for the promotion of a product or service, such as paying radio disc jockeys to play songs on the radio.Speaking at the 67th anniversary symposium of the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston last Wednesday, Dr Dunn said that the commission had drafted a number of regulations to address payola.These include a regulation for media houses to designate a staff member to be responsible for media output; the compilation of music charts is in accordance with the station’s methodology; and the maintenance of playlists and programme logs for examination by the commission and accredited rights agencies.(Jamaica Observer)