Hehe, I'm Kerri, but you're close
Payola is/was a system where labels/promoters paid DJs money to get their songs played and played often. It was a big scandal in the late '50s, but it's still going on today, but now it's the program directors who supposedly get paid because the DJs don't control what's played at all. There used to be more options back in the day, but corporate ownership and an emphasis on supposed demographic studies/polls have pretty much taken choice away from the DJs.