Claim: Music exec. Fired in payola dispute

LOS ANGELES, June 15 (UPI) -- A former Los Angeles record company executive claims he was told to engage in payola and was subsequently fired when he said he couldn't do it anymore.

Daniel Mireles, a former vice president of promotion for Univision Music subsidiary Fonovisa, claims in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles that Fonovisa and Univision executives ordered him in December 2005 to give cash to radio program directors to increase airplay of Fonovisa records.

Mireles says he protested, saying he had been investigated in 1995 when Fonovisa was hit with payola charges, Radio & Records reported Friday.

The lawsuit names Univision Music, Fonovisa General Manager Alfonso Larriva and Univision marketing and promotion vice president Alberto del Castillo as defendants.

The suit alleges that Larriva and del Castillo told Mireles he would lose his job if he didn't go along, so Mireles worked out deals with more than 50 program directors.

Mireles accuses the defendants of cutting checks to an independent company and then getting the money back so Mireles could give it to program directors.

Mireles claims he told his superiors in May 2006 he would stop taking part in the scheme and was then fired in June 2006.

A lawyer for Univision Communications declined comment, R&R said.