The 'Tipping Point" for payola...
What unfolded on this date almost 50 years ago started the radio payola investigations. While the biggest radio offender, Alan Freed wouldn't be indicted until May 9th, 1960, this event was payola's tipping point. The man who testified before a House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight on November 2nd, 1959 is now 80 years old. A virtual recluse, he only uses his real name when authoring a book. He refuses interviews about the quiz show scandals of the 50's. His last known interview was on the Today Show in 1985. His name is Charles Van Doren...
In his testimony before the Congressional subcommittee in 1959, Van Doren admitting being given questions and answers in advance of his appearances on the game show Twenty-One, earning him more than $138,000 as a result. The movie "Quiz Show" in 1994 about the scandal was a box office smash for Robert Redford who produced and directed it. Van Doren became an outcast and was dropped from his post of assistant professor at Columbia University, becoming an editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He also wrote several books, none about the scandal...
And how did this lead to radios payola scandal ? In the wake of the quiz show scandals, ASCAP urged the same House subcommittee to look into the recording industry's practice of payola. The publishing company believed that BMI licensed songs were hits only because of payola and specifically the Rock and Roll records that were licensed to BMI. Hello payola investigations...
We've linked a clip of Jack Barry introducing one of Van Doren's appearances on 21: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3xp2aW7Q7M ...
Ten Timeline Memories...
- [1783] General George Washington issues his farewell address to the Army near Princeton (NJ)...
- [1920] KDKA (Pittsburgh) is the 1st radio station to broadcast results of a presidential election (Warren Harding is elected)...
- [1947] Howard Hughes pilots his huge wooden airplane known as the Spruce Goose, a flight lasting about a minute over Long Beach (CA) Harbor (the Spruce Goose was a catchy name but the plane was actually made of birch not spruce)...
- [1948] Harry S. Truman surprises the experts (and the Chicago Tribune which bore the headline: "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN") by narrowly winning re-election over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey...
- [1960] 66-year old George Weiss resigns as Yankee GM. He will resurface quickly, becoming the Mets 1st GM (he also brings in another former Yankee, Casey Stengel, as the Mets 1st manager)...
- [1964] CBS Inc. purchases 80% of the Yankees for $11 million (they'll buy the remaining 20% at a later date)...
- [1974] The Braves trade Hank Aaron to the Milwaukee Brewers assuring that Aaron will end his career where it began - in Milwaukee...
- [1976] Former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter defeats Republican incumbent Gerald R. Ford, becoming the 1st president from the Deep South since the Civil War...
- [1992] Infected with HIV, Magic Johnson retires from the NBA...
- [1995] Joe Torre is named manager of the Yankees (leading them to 5 American League titles and 4 World Series wins in his 1st 7 years - but none since 2000)...
#1 on this date: 1968] "For Once in my Life" - Stevie Wonder...1971] "gypsy's, Tramps & Thieves" - Cher...1981] "Private Eyes" - Hall & Oates...1985] "Part-Time Lover" - Stevie Wonder...
Released on this date: "Be True To Your School" - Beach Boys...
Premiered on this date: "Girls! Girls! Girls!" starring Elvis Presley...
Ch-chingggg: 1976] New Jersey voters approve gambling in Atlantic City...
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E": 1979] Mick Jagger and Bianca divorce (after 8 years of marriage)...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
Commentary...
Visitation for Tom Noonan will be held this Friday (tomorrow) in Los Angeles. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, interment to follow. For more information contact: Steve Resnik at: (818.951.6700)...No plans yet for memorials but when I have them I'll pass it along...
Last night at the Celtic game: a simple, empty seat was adorned with 16 green roses and a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur cigar. It was Red Auerbach's seat at TD Banknorth. The Celtics wore black shamrocks on their uniforms with "Red" in green letters and those in the expensive courtside seats were given a commemorative cigar, identical to the one left in Auerbach's seat. A very classy touch by the home team...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
David Schwimmer 40, k.d. lang 45, Maxine Nightingale 54, Stefanie Powers 64, Pat Buchanan 68, David Blatt a.k.a. Jay Black 68 and Earl "Speedo" Carroll 69...
Timeline Countdown: 59 days until 2007, 66 days until the NFL playoffs and 94 days until Super Bowl XLI in Miami...
...
