Correspondence, George Johnson III and John Fiorini

Correspondence, George Johnson III and John Fiorini

Box 6 Folder 28: "WJLD is in the midst of issues with the FCC. It seems like Jimmy Lawson is taking the hit. They are restraining him in many ways...no records in the studio, all the songs pre-picked, no announcing platter parties. This is folder 28 and these are… these are letters dated April 25th from Johnston's attorney requesting structural changes around what music is played and how internal complaints are handled. One of the interesting things it points out, the attorney says to Mr. Johnston that he’s added a new paragraph to the memorandum to personnel indicating that all programming and air personnel would be required to sign payola affidavits twice a year and this of course coming off the big payola scandals of the early ‘60s. Johnston responds. One of them is dated, let’s see, August 10th of 1973. And the letter is sent by Beverly Brazier, which is an interesting name to say the least. But I think that might have been the same person that was on those FCC… not FCC forms but ARB forms that were signed by the traffic manager. That would make sense, that looks like her handwriting. Beverly Brazier. And in there, in this letter of August of ‘73 is a station memorandum, job descriptions, and a current list of changes that have been in effect since August 1st of ’73, and these were done, these were sent to an attorney in Washington, which I assume is the attorneys that were handling applications to the FCC for the station. And in here are descriptions of, among other people, Willie McKinstry, Bob Shivers, Larry Hayes, and it should be noted that Larry Hayes, in not too long a time, would be brought in as the, excuse me, general manager of WENN when A.G. Gaston took over, replacing Joe Lackey, which caused the announcer walkout. But that's three years down the road. Jimmy Lawson is still with WJLD. All from the WJLD files."