Payola: Media's open secret

written by: Rem Lucio

(Aileen Tandang, Arnela Almirez, Gwen Kangleon)

Having been around for quite some time now, Payola is an ongoing practice in media. So what is Payola? According to history-of-rock website, Payola comes from the words “pay” and “Victrola” (an LP record player), and entered the English language via the record business. Payola is defined as the illegal practice of record companies paying radio stations and disc jockeys to play particular songs in their stations.

According to Ernie Dela Cruz, who used to work under the Advertisement/Promotion Department of Vicor Recording Company, “Some radio stations receive payola with the station manager, some would go individually (straight to the DJs). Recording companies give out payola as part of promotions of songs. Binibigyan nila ng plugging list (titles of songs) yoong mga announcers na tumatangap ng payola para yoon lang yoong patugtugin nilang kanta.”

Payola comes in different forms. It usually comes in forms of cash or “good time treats”. Good time treats referring to free passes to hotels, restaurants, dinners, dinners, events etc. Even guns are given for protection. The lowest rate of payment one receives for a write-up is 20,000 or 30,000. It depends on the company a media practitioner works for. The amount goes higher if you are a big time reporter.

In the US, Payola goes back as early as the 1920’s. It became more apparent in the 1950’s with the emergence of rock 'n' roll, the introduction of the inexpensive 45 RPM single, radio's shift to Top 40 music once TV commandeered drama, postwar prosperity, and the arrival of teenagers as an economic force. In this period, live performances were taken over by records. The easiest way for artists to gain exposure and sell their records, the labels needed to distinguish their songs from their competitors. Bribery seemed the best way to go thus record companies hired promoters to pay deejays particular amounts to play their records.

One example of Payola done in the US is when in January 1998, Flip/Interscope Records paid a Portland, Oregon radio station $5,000 to play one Limp Bizkit song 50 times over a five-week period. The band was able to generate enough interest to play a successful concert there. Other stations showed interest in their music, and Limp Bizkit broke into the music biz in a big way. However, the argument against pay-for-play, even if the parties are upfront about it, is that it allows big labels to buy their artists’ way onto the charts.

Payola is usually use either for a good purpose or a bad purpose. Either you write a negative or a positive feature on a particular person. It is for either for good publicity or bad publicity. It takes in many forms—apart from promoting songs, it is also done involving writers, editors and reporters to publish particular stories.

It is also done by the government as well. “Yoong mga commentaries, news programs, may mga politicians and government agencies ang nagbibigay para hindi sila siraan sa publiko,” says Dela Cruz.

For Ivy Manat of Ballyhoo Records, she carefully chooses which to receive. “Personally, if you will give me a certain amount, tapos sisiraan ko lang yung iba, di ko gagawin yun. Pero pag binayaran mo ko ng malaking amount pababanguhin kita, ggagawin ko yun kasi still positive.” Furthermore she adds, “Sa akin, ok lang na tumanggap ng payola. If I’m a writer or I’m a journalist, it’s ok na tumanggap ako pero as long as hindi ko sisirain yung tao. Kung i-buibuild-up ko siya ok lang, so kung naiinggit yung kabilang partido, magpabuild-up na din sya. At least hindi kita ida-down. Hindi ko sya titirahin pababa.” She herself has confessed to have done receiving Payolas but only to write good publicity on someone.

In some cases, there are some journalists who will continue to do bad write ups about certain people unless they are given money or “good time treats” in exchange. “May mga ibang journalists na sisiraan ka nila ng sisiraan hangga’t hindi ka nagbibigay. Tapos after mo magbigay mabait na siya sa iyo. Ireretrack niya yung mga sinulat nya and babawiin so nawala na yoong credibility mo. And magugulat yung boss mo bakit ganoon and palalabasin na lang niya may nakameeting siya na nagsabing hindi naman pala talaga sya ganun,” says Manat.

As long as there are people who give out money, there will be people who will continue receiving them. Most media people practices Payola but there are still a few out there who don’t do this kind of practice—those who stick to the ethical side of their careers. When asked if there’s a possibility for Payola to be eradicated from the industry, “No. The saddest part of it [is that] it will be worse, and it will stay forever. Media has lost [its] credibility because of this,” says Dela Cruz.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores - [ Book Review ]

Shattered by the idea of dying alone, a man, in the eve of his ninetieth birthday decided to treat himself a wild night of love with a virgin. Declaring a new life at an age where most mortals have already died, he keenly says, “Today’s the day!”


Most people would rather raise their eyebrows than give Gabriel Garcia Marquez cheers and praises for a work that is so mesmerizing yet so disturbing.


“Memories of my melancholy whores” is a novel written by Marquez. He has masterfully played with words he could utter to give life to an old man who hungers for true love.


The story goes telling of how an old bachelor feels depressed after realizing he had wasted nine decades of his life. His delusions of what his life could have been if only love found its way to him. But then the novel also presents a spark of hope that with old age, love can still take its toll on him and make his life more meaningful and happier even in the simplest way.


The story is mesmerizing with the way the character recalls how he had spent his life in the past, how he lost his virginity to a woman older than he was before. And how he fell in love with a woman that once wished to be married to him, but then left without a word.


He was the perfect lover. He had laid almost 500 prostitutes and still counting. But all they did was to get him through the night, none really showed him the love he needed.


Then it becomes suddenly disturbing when he finally found himself deeply in love with a 14-year old girl that was so frail and so young. But the love he found was so different from the ones he had before.


He had asked for a virgin to spend the night with, but then as he first laid his eyes on the little girl, love and pity suddenly struck him. And finally, he learned to love without lust. Their connection was strengthened as he simply stares at the angelic face of the girl who had always slept soundly beside him.


Marquez’s work is erotic but unexpectedly funny. A page turner, that serves justice to how the author artistically presented an unusual love between an old man and a teenage girl who has yet to experience life.


The ending was surprising yet compelling. The bachelor had proved that it’s never too late to love again and with his friend revealing a truth that was kept for quite a while, “...the poor creature’s head over heels in love with you,” is the perfect way to close the curtains.


Wisdom comes with old age, and who could have thought that true love may also comes with it.
And so I say, No one will ever be too old to fall in love.

The colorful canvass of a painter's life

An empty canvass splashed with a mixture of acrylic plus the artistic stroke from a young man’s hand is already called an art. But if you add some odd shapes and a little of dark shades, they call it a masterpiece.


Gemart Ortega’s definition of an art is the works that not everyone can figure out. “…anything that is unusual. The ones that others think is weird, for me is an art. The unexplainable and strange, that no one can really understand is the perfect art.” He proudly said in Filipino.


Ortega is one of the young artists that give a different perspective of art. Only on his second year in UP Diliman, he already had numerous art exhibits with other Pinoy artists, that, he cannot remember exactly how many. He started painting at an early age of 11 and since then had always found himself holding the paintbrush.


He says his artworks are the reflection of who he truly is. The things that are inside his head are represented by the colors and odd shapes that he includes in every painting he finishes.


His paintings are basically his way of expressing his emotions and that makes it stand out from the others. Being a 17-year-old fine arts student, he has crazy ideas to use as subjects and has his creative hands to make others understand his thoughts.


Walking along the hallway full of different master pieces, Ortega’s paintings can be easily distinguished from the others. With its different strokes used from the different mixture of colors that was splattered in the canvass to show everything that was on his head. One of which was Ortega’s favorite painting, ‘Jesus Christ’, it wasn’t his first artwork but definitely one of his best. Just like an ordinary portrait of the son of God, there was something in his eyes that you would keep on staring.


This exciting play with colors often makes one a millionaire, but the real common connotation of the word ‘art’ is unsuccessful and ‘no money.’


Ortega agrees that being an artist, like any other career is and will never be too easy. There were the continuous discouragements from the people around him that will always push him into giving up. “But you just have to keep your focus and have a strong heart” he explains, because a real artist is the one who loves his craft and will never be defeated by mere human who doesn’t even know how to define the word art.


Anyone who works with his hands alone is a laborer. And the one who works with his hands and head is called a craftsman, but the one who works with his hands, head and his heart is called an artist. Some artists may not be earning as much as a politician earns, but as long as they do the thing they love, is enough to continue on mixing those acrylics from the mixing plate.

The Cervarix power to heal

Abortion is a result of am unwanted pregnancy. But responsibility is way better than to receive a positive result from an HIV test. And using condoms actually prevents both from occurring.


A sexual intercourse is something passionate, done out of love or simply out of lust. It may be between you and a man, but without any protection, it may just end up between you and death.


Most women would freak out at the possibility of having breast cancer. But American Cancer Society’s studies show that the other major cause of death among women is Cervical Cancer.


Cervical Cancer occurs when normal cells in the cervix change into cancer cells. It is usually caused by HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) infection that results to pre-malignant lesions and develops to cancer.


Monthly menstruation is normal to a woman’s reproductive cycle. But when cancer cells start to invade the vagina, it may cause an irregular bleeding which is one of the obvious symptoms of cervical cancer.


Exposure to other sexually transmitted diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and having multiple sex partners also triggers cancer cells. While smoking twice a day and the use of oral contraceptives also increases the risk of acquiring cervical cancer.


Cases of cervical cancer each year shows that one of every three patients die within a year after diagnosis and three out of four women will die in five years after diagnosis of cervical cancer.


Cervical cancer is second only to breast cancer as the most common malignancy that afflicts and kills Filipino women. However, cervical cancer is a more deadly disease: For every four Filipino women who survive cancer of the breast, only two or three will survive cancer of the cervix.


Though the sound of Cervical Cancer is frightening, there are several methods by which women can prevent the disease. There are primary methods such as vaccination offered in hospitals and other companies while the secondary method entails a cervical cancer screening.


The GlaxoSmithKline’s cervical cancer vaccine or Cervarix vaccine is consists of three doses. GSK representatives said although they guarantee the duration of vaccine protection against cervical cancer for five-and-a-half years, it’s likely to be effective up to 10 years. The vaccine can be administered to women as young as 10 years old, depending on one’s lifestyle.


“Most people think cervical cancer is a death sentence,” says Dr. Cecile Llave of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network of the UP-PGH, “But now we know cervical cancer can be prevented. We know it can be treated.”


From all the prevention methods that doctors and promoters have been prescribing, a clean and healthy living is still the best advice you will get. Also with the availability of vaccines, in the future, cervical cancer can be a thing of the past.

SINOSIKAT IDENTIFIES WHO'S WHO

Kat was eager to answer every question that we have asked. But she had to pause when we inquired about the earnings of the band, and then she just gave us her sweetest smile.


A lot of people think that starting out as a band in the music scene without any “pasabog” plans is a waste of time since there are a lot of bands popping in with different styles and gimmicks. But I had to agree with what Nick Azarcon has to say about this; “A good idea is always worth fighting for and Sinosikat is a really good idea.”


The band SINOSIKAT was formed in September of 2004. According to the band’s vocalist, Kat Agarrado, they started out as a jam band and everyone had day jobs. But when they decided to form their own band, everyone had to quit their “other” jobs and focus on their passion and basically earn less.


From weekly jam sessions, they decided to form an official band consisted of musicians with the same visions, missions and priorities. “I called up Reli de Vera who became the drummer who also invited a bassist, and Nick (Azarcon) was on guitars thus Sinosikat was formed.” Agarrado recalled.


Most of the members of the band are graduates of the country’s top universities but because their passion calls them to do this kind of work, they had to give up their diplomas and decided to concentrate on their singing and just make money out of it.


Unlike other bands who poses as mascots and toys just to attract audience, SinoSikat’s music is their only offering. They pose no fancy gimmicks, no funny antics just plain music and it’s a very brave thing to do since they’re not competing like how other bands do, it might fail but might also work. People can expect something fresh from the band and they offer just one thing: a new choice for pinoy music lovers. “Something original hindi katunog ng something else” Agarrado expressed.


SinoSikat’s latest single “Magic” is slowly crawling up the charts, and has received thumbs up from various people. Hopefully these hit singles will give them the assurance that they will be singing for a long time and will survive in this fast track music industry.



“medyo mahirap, pero at the same time kumikita naman kami, enough to support our needs and our bills, to follow our passion.” Aggarado says without batting an eyelash.


Every career, every small time business, starts from scratch. But with hard work and maybe with the help of a pretty angel like what SinoSikat has in the guise of Kat Agarrado, anyone will surely succeed.

THE UNDERDOGS : an article about boys

It would be unfair for girls to be compared with boys. Girls are way too smart while boys are way too sluggish.


Comparison is a crime, but still God created everything differently. So we may all have the same body parts and the same smell after a day’s work, but still we are all far from being the same.


I belong to the female group, I love flowers and hate bees. I love watching romantic flicks and never think its boring or baduy. But this one can still be a two-sided article, girls are great and boys think so too.


Girls are smart, we mature faster than boys do, but maybe we can’t hide the fact that some boys are really good in some things.


Back in highschool I can’t remember any mathematical awards given to a girl but always to a boy by the name I can’t even remember. Maybe because I thought he was a nerd or maybe because I just can’t accept the fact that he’s better with numbers.


Scientific researches explain that boys usually use the right side of their brain to work on abstract problems, which includes mathematical computations. Well that makes sense, so boys really do better than girls? The research further explains, but girls on their part tend to use both sides of the brain making them good in both verbal communication skills and solving abstracts. Now that makes more sense.


Boys are usually the insensitive ones. According to psychological studies, there is some truth in the perceived lack of male sensitivity. Men, more often than women, have difficulty with loving feelings, being vulnerable, and with grieving. These are vital human qualities that men have often lost and that may take much time and therapy to regain. Often men are not even aware that they are hurting. You’ll see them realizing their faults but still denies it and let others suffer because of their incompetence. They don’t even know the word sorry unless it’s them whom you have hurt and in need of an apology.


The denial of pain and hurt is widespread, particularly among men. Other sociological studies show that for them it is often safer to stick with the anger than to face any of the fear and hurt beneath the rage. It is often an important part of men's personal growth to become aware of and sensitive to discomfort, fear and hurt.


They also can’t act directly without a clear command or given rule. This can be a good trait or maybe this is just one way of saying boys were really created to serve, serve thy queens.


I didn’t even want to squeeze in the idea of love since it’s too mushy for such a serious write-up, but then it’s just perfect to relate love with boys. Not because they’re the ideal lovers but because they can’t really define the word, all they think of is lust, lust, lust. Oh ok, maybe not all. But maybe somewhere, somehow, they’ll find what real love really means.


The IQ of girls is likely to rise earlier than the boys’. But there’s always the drop point wherein boys’ tactics and ways beats the brains. I still believe girls are way better, but then I won’t be here without my father’s sperm so I guess I owe it to him.

CAPOTE [ movie review ]

Hours after the murderers’ execution, Truman Capote sat still in his bed while listening to the words of his friend through the telephone “…it’s because you didn’t want to...” she firmly said.


‘CAPOTE’ is a 114 minute - movie about a famous writer in America known as Truman Capote. Truman has authored various books and short stories including “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” published in 1958 and his last non-fiction book entitled “In Cold Blood”.


The movie tells of the story on how Truman (Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets too attached to a troubled murderer named Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) as he tries to dig deep in the story of death of a farm family in Kansas. Truman decided to write a book out of the dreadful killing but then found himself caring for the two murderers and even tried to help them out after being sentenced to death.


The story unlike any other movie was told not through the setting and actions of each character, but rather it was the dialogue thrown by each of them that completes the thought of the whole movie. Every word counts and every sentence that the characters said gives way for the next scene.


The film was partly shot in Kansas, in the western part of the United States. Most scenes were either inside the prison cell or in a bar with dimmed lights and cigarette smokes everywhere. The setting rather boring compared to any other drama films with the way the Director (Bennett Miller) shot every scenes, it’s like those of a suspense movie minus the eerie soundtracks.


The story also revealed the kind of person Truman was. He was a writer and he did have some attitude that many could have disliked, but as the story goes, the human behind the ‘reporter’ was slowly shown.


As a reporter, he had his own ways to get his source’s trust and made them tell him anything he’d wish to know. But the only problem was that, Truman, in the middle of the story, became too attached to his sources that resulted into a conflict with his real reasons for doing the interviews.

Truman Capote was a well known author and one that enjoys the lime light, but everyone changes and that includes him. His friendship with the murderers changed his outlook and it could have caused him his career but his professionalism did saved him

Truman could have done something for his convicted friends. He could’ve really saved them from death if he wanted to. But its not that he wasn’t able to do it, but because he didn’t want to, he knew that it was over, he got what he needed and no work was ought to be done after that.