Radio One’s Indianapolis R&B station WTLC-FM has accused fired disc jockey Krishna Henderson-Hutchinson of violating its policy on payola and adding songs to the playlist based on a personal relationship. Henderson-Hutchinson, who was known on-air as “First Lady Khris Raye,” was let go 12/12. She then filed a lawsuit in Marion Superior Court in June, alleging breach of contract and seeking at least two months of back pay.
Radio One had the case transferred to federal court in Indianapolis after it first appeared she was seeking more than $75,000 from the company, reports The Indianapolis Business Journal.
But the complaint was remanded back to Marion County court recently, where Radio One last month alleged that Henderson-Hutchinson violated the company’s “Payola, Plugola & Music Selection Compliance Policy,” which requires pre-approval before a song is added to the playlist.
“Henderson-Hutchinson engaged in an intimate personal relationship with a musical artist, whose songs (she) added to Radio One’s playlist and substantially increased on-air play without Radio One’s approval,” the company said in a filing. The artist wasn’t identified.
Radio One also alleges she added other musical artists to the playlists without authorization and that she accessed her email account following her departure, in violation of her employment agreement. Radio One seeks unspecified damages and attorney fees.
An attorney for Henderson-Hutchinson has denied Radio One’s allegations. “My client never engaged in payola and never received any type of compensation,” attorney Andrew Wirick of Hume Smith Geddes Green & Simmons LLP, told IBJ.
The suit did not specify whether she received any compensation for upping the artist’s airplay.
Henderson-Hutchinson joined WTLC in 2005. She was also APD and MD at sister WTLC-AM.
Earlier this month the WTLC fired personality Rusty Redenbacher for playing a song on which he sang vocals, violating its policy against self-promotion.
See the Indianapolis Business Journal story here
