Question: Who was indicted in the Fifties Payola Scandal and why?
Answer: Alan Freed was the most famous of the DJs to be investigated in the Fifties "payola" scandals, mainly due to the ruinous effect it had on his career. A lesser-known fact is that American Bandstand host and DJ Dick Clark was also under investigation. But musicians were also caught in the fray: Les Paul and Bobby Darin, for example, were charged with paying to perform on Freed's ABC television show. Other DJs named in the scandal were Joe Niagara (WIBG, Philadelphia), Tom Clay (WJBK, Detroit), Murray "The K" Kaufman (WINS, New York) and Stan Richards (WILD, Boston).
