Pay radio presenters well – Fiifi Banson tells owners

Ace broadcaster Fiifi Banson has advised owners of radio stations to pay their radio presenters well so that they may not be influenced by PAYOLA from musicians.

PAYOLA, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is the practice of giving or taking payments for doing something illegal, especially for illegally influencing the sales of a particular product synonym bribery.

In Ghana, when Payola is mentioned, it means a record company spending enough money on presenters/DJs in order to make their record a hit, thereby influencing the playlist of radio presenters/DJs.

Sometimes record companies or individuals who can’t afford to pay PAYOLA don’t get their songs played on various radio stations and it is said that once you pay, your song will be aired.

This, according to Fiifi Banson, is the cause of substandard songs on Ghana’s airwaves.

“Owners of radio stations have cheated radio presenters for long. When you don’t pay them well, people will influence them with GH¢200 Payola and they will begin to play any song on air because you are not paying them well.”

Fiifi Banson, who was on Onua FM’s entertainment talk show Anigye Mmre hosted by Christian Agyei Frimpong, admitted taking Payola in the past but he said if owners of radio stations want to gain listenership, they should pay their presenters well and the presenters will play good music.