Alan Freed's got nothing on this...

Payola, kickbacks, cash for a smash (hit)—ghosts that loom over the early days of rock 'n roll radio in America. But now that the record companies are all tanking with the death of CDs, that's over, since there's no bribe bait left in the bank account.

In Uganda, meanwhile, bribes, "tips," payola, "gifts," "thanks," and "injections" are not just expected, but demanded by radio programmers and DJs. And as big acts pay bigger "tributes," the little acts are getting squeezed out even when they play along in the crooked game.

(If that isn't bad enough, the same thing happens with Ugandan news. If you want to be one of the day's top stories, you have to pay the journalists to cover what you've done.)

Wonder what these guys will charge to spin the O'Jays classic, "For the Love of Money," a few times?

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