House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight

The aforementioned scandal involved rigged televised quiz shows which were portrayed as legitimate throughout the 1950s, while payola is the act of paying radio stations or disc jockeys to get them to play or promote certain songs.

First, the subcommittee sent attorney Richard N. Goodwin to serve subpoenas to central figures in the quiz show scandals.

[3] Harris was rumored to have been embroiled in a conflict of interest regarding his financial ties to a television station in his home state of Arkansas.

Charles Van Doren testified at the hearing and admitted that he cheated, explaining that it made for better entertainment.

He also admitted that he was given questions in order to beat the reigning champion Herb Stempel on Twenty-One.

[1] 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.

[1] As a result of the quiz show investigations, Charles Van Doren pled guilty to perjury.

Jacob Slichter, the drummer for the band Semisonic, said in 2006 that payola was how they turned their song "Closing Time" into a hit.