The fallout over a two-year-old wrongful termination suit by an ex-Fonovisa promotions VP continues, with the Federal Communications Commission sending letters of inquiry to radio stations it suspects of having received payments for spins.
Billboard has obtained a redacted copy of an Oct. 16 letter that the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has sent to an unspecified number of radio stations that broadcast Latin music. The letter asked each station licensee to provide information within 60 days on “whether personnel at the station accepted cash payments or other valuable consideration…in exchange for airplay of musical artists represented by and/or records produced or distributed by Univision Music Group” and its sub-labels Univision Records, Disa, La Calle and Fonovisa.
The letter goes on to say that the FCC has information that “one or more employees of Univision Music delivered thousands of dollars in cash to personnel at the station, as part of a widespread payola scheme.”
The identities of the stations that have received the letter weren’t immediately known.
In a footnote, the letter cites as evidence a 2006 lawsuit by former Fonovisa promotions VP Daniel Mireles, in which he claimed he was fired from his job because he was unwilling to keep paying radio station personnel to play his company’s music.
The footnote says that evidence in the case was drawn “in part” from the lawsuit, but adds that it is “also based on corroborating evidence,” although it doesn’t identify what that evidence is.
An FCC spokeswoman would not comment on the matter except to say that the commission “has made inquiries into a sponsorship identification issue.”
Mireles’ 2006 complaint said that he had been compelled by his bosses to draw up a list of radio personnel to bribe, though the original suit itself had not named any of the stations involved.
Although Mireles’ complaint was based on payments allegedly made in 2006, the FCC’s letter asks an exhaustive list of questions covering the period from January 1, 2000 until now. The letter asks the recipient to disclose any payments received for programming, whether those payments were identified as having been paid for by sponsors, as well as any agreements with Mireles or his former label as to such transactions, among other questions.
Court records show Mireles’ case was dismissed at his attorney’s request in February. Univision Music Group was acquired by Universal Music Group in May of this year.
