Payola: Media’s open secret

Ivy Manat of Ballyhoo Records

By Remedios V. Lucio

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, gagawin 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.

Porcelain painter, Maria Nellie Bautista

By Remedios Lucio

An artist who hungers to paint, Maria Nellie Bautista, joined the Philippine Artist Group (PAG) four years ago in Canada. Through an exhibition in Toronto, she contacted PAG and asked them if she can join their group. Her Peony painting in watercolor became her ticket in becoming a member of PAG.

She was invited by Jun Liamante and Romy Mananquil, both members of PAG, to join their on the spot painting in a park in Canada. She met other members of the group. She brought her porcelain painting there and showed it to them. They loved her painting.

Her Peony painting was put up in their PAG website. From there, she was asked by Mananquil to join their group and thus became the secretary of PAG soon afterwards.

Since she was a kid, she loves to draw and paint. It was not supported by her parents because they did not have any money at that time to support such craft. It was only when she turned 50 when she decided to revive her long loved craft of drawing and painting. For two years, Bautista has been studying and continuously painting in Canada.

Bautista says her style doesn't have any limitations in art. She loves to do anything. “I'm really hungry to paint,” she says. By the time she was able to take art courses, she paints everything. “Anything that I should paint, I paint,” she says. Bautista paints traditional paintings, figures, landscapes, Chinese brush paintings, porcelains, etc. She uses different forms of medium such as pastel, oil, acrylic and watercolor.

They say she is most outstanding in painting landscapes but her colleagues, advised her to concentrate in porcelain painting.

Her collections were mostly done in Toronto, Canada, where she is currently residing with her husband. Her inspiration for her artworks is the four seasons of weather there. She loves to paint nature. She has many winter paintings. In summer, they usually go to lakes and outside the city where she is inspired to paint landscapes and flowers. In springtime, she painted the Peony at the back of her garden. The fall season is amongst her favorite because of the colors. The four seasons usually gives her vast creativity in her collections. Bautista also loves to paint by her imagination.

“When I feel about my painting, I feel I'm in a different world,” says Bautista.

Upon reading Van Gogh's life, she was touched by his story. She says if she is given a chance to paint any works of Van Gogh, she will paint the Cherry Blossoms in Japan and dedicate it to him.

In 2004, PAG held their first exhibition in Art Space, Glorietta in Makati, which was organized by Atty. Abesamis, a famous lawyer in Toronto who was establishing his Philippine Canadian foundation that time.

She aspires to paint portraits and paint more landscapes, still life, and Chinese brush paintings. She also dreams of sketching Imelda Marcos, who is an avid supporter of art.

Most of her paintings are in the Philippines. She plans to paint more once she gets back to Canada.

Currently, she is also preparing herself in a solo exhibition in 2010. Once this happens, she aspires to have her own workshops in the Philippines and in Canada to teach other aspiring painters who want to pursue their craft.

Women rantings on men's annoying traits

By Remedios Lucio

You are out with your buddies on a Friday night, you noticed a group of  good looking women hanging out together across the room of a restaurant chattering the night away.  But wait, they are haplessly talking about you—no, not just you per se but men in general.

It turns into a rant session and how hard it is to find a good man for her or even a good date.  Then it turns into a full-on rag session on men in general.  They start ticking off their fingers with traits that makes men difficult.

Every human being has pride but men have major egos, sometimes egos bigger than craters of the moon.  Protection of their egos is so important to them that sometimes they don’t even notice how they are already hurting people around them.  What is even worse is arrogance.  They think their hot stuff and they can get any woman they want instantly.

Then there’s the silent demeanor when asked what is wrong or even worse averting their gaze elsewhere and changing the topic as fast as lightning.  Why don’t they just say it? Men don’t say what they are thinking in order to not hurt women’s feelings.  While the women keep on pressing for details (and we’re branded as naggers).

There are some men who are commitment-phobic.  They either just want a hook-up or they are not prepared for the responsibilities that come along with commitments.

Then there’s the Houdini act.  They do the disappearing act probably even better than Houdini himself.  This leaves women with multiple questions battling in her head and even, yes, stumps them.  This includes leaving women hanging.

Imagine competing with a man who does more beauty rituals than you? There are some men who are vainer than their girlfriends.  Metrosexual they say, right Tim Yap?  Some men can’t read between the lines.  You know how women are, enough said.

When it comes to kidding around, there are some men who doesn’t know when to stop.  The raise eyebrows shoot by annoyed women doesn’t scare them from shutting their loud mouths.  There are men who can’t decide for themselves and that is a major turn-off.  Indiscriminately burping and farting is just disgusting.  Fart sessions, anyone?

Men love beer and they love drinking especially after a long, stressful day at work.  What could be even better than drinking cold Red Horse and eating Sisig on hot plates?  But doing this so often irritates women.

Book Review: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

By Remedios V. Lucio

“On my fifteenth birthday, I'll run away from home, journey to a far-off town, and live in a corner of a small library. It sounds a little like a fairy tale. But it's no fairy tale, believe me,” says Kafka Tamura.

Haruki Murakami’s novel, Kafka on the Shore, is about the intertwined lives of 15-year old boy named Kafka Tamura and an aging simpleton, Satoru Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and who has the ability to talk to cats.

The journey begins with Tamura leaving his father, a renowned sculptor, in Tokyo.  An omen was laid upon him by his own father—his destiny to murder him and sleep with his own mother and sister.  His own mother and sister abandoned him when he was only five years old, leaving him with no imprints of how they look like.

With only a backpack full of clothes, walkman and his memories full of child resentment, he left Tokyo and headed to Takamatsu.  He was taken under the wing of Oshima, who works in the library and Miss Saeki, the owner of the library.

There he lingers between the library and frequently visits a cabin in this mystical woods far from the hustles and bustles of the city he was once used to.

Nakata, on the other hand, is unfortunately an old man who was left with a learning inability because of bizarre childhood accident.  He cannot read nor write and thus relies on a sub city to survive living in the city.  He begins his adventure with a young truck driver named, Hoshino.

Murakami mesmerizes his readers with a wonderful story of a boy finding himself in his own way.  Memory serving as the way to truly understanding the circumstances he is in and most importantly strengthening his character.

He uses western characters such as Colonel Sanders and Johnnie Walker in this novel. Murakami also embraces his readers in a world where the absurd happens—cats talk, fish falls from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder.