received $12,000 from record companies in 1958 and 1959. The main concern of the subcommittee was a matter of public trust. In another form of payola, DJs would get a songwriting credit, allowing them to receive royalties so that they would be encouraged to play the song. The reputation of Cleveland DJ Alan Freed was damaged by the hearings. Outcome As a result of the quiz show investigations, Charles Van Doren pled guilty to perjury. In 1962, Elfrida von Nardroff pled guilty to second-degree perjury. Twelve other former quiz show contestants were also arrested in the scandal. Payola was made illegal in 1960. In December 1962, after being charged on multiple counts of commercial bribery, DJ Alan Freed pled guilty to two counts of commercial bribery and was fined $300 and given a suspended sentence. The investigations led to federal regulation of the broadcasting industry. The Communications Act Amendments of 1960 (S 1898) called for more regulation of the broadcasting industry. The rigging of game shows was made a federal crime and the FCC was given greater authority. Additionally, any payola had to be disclosed. Some artists claim that the practice of payola still exists. Jacob Slichter, the drummer for the band Semisonic, said in 2006 that payola was how they turned their song "Closing Time" into a hit. Slichter stated: "It cost something close to $700,000 to $800,000 to get 'Closing Time' on the air." In a 2019 Rolling Stone article, Elias Right reported that payola never went away and has instead become more sophisticated. The investigation found that to get songs on the air, companies pay by other means than cash, such as plane tickets, sports tickets and shoes. Record companies also pay for advertising time on the radio and purchase billboards for those radio stations and merchandise like T-shirts. Payola also takes the form of artist appearances and or performances. References Further reading Defunct subcommittees of the United States House of Representatives Radio in the United States Television in the United States