Is Primedia Getting Into the Pornography Business?

[Gary Ruskin]

Commercial Alert			November 9, 2000

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:			For More Information Contact:
Thursday, November 9, 2000		Gary Ruskin (202) 296-2787
					Jim Metrock (205) 612-3376

Is Primedia Getting Into the Pornography Business?

	Following the announcement of a proposed merger between Primedia Inc.
and About.com Inc., two media watchdog groups raised questions regarding
whether it was proper and appropriate for Primedia, a large media
company, to merge with About.com, which generates an unspecified amount
of revenue from Internet pornography.

	Primedia owns several child-targeted magazines, such as Teen Beat and
Seventeen, and Channel One, an in-school marketing company that delivers
ten minutes of "lite" news and two minutes of advertising each schoolday
to a captive audience of approximately eight million children.  

	About.com operates roughly general interest 700 websites, and several
which appear to promote an extensive library of pornography.  For
example, About.com operates websites on "Adult Swinging,""Amateur
Erotica," and "Fetishism."  About.com's adult film guide, "Margie S."
tells About.com patrons that her adult film newsletter will "give you
the lowdown on the best xxx films & stars past & present with plenty of
links to the hottest porno places."
	
	"Primedia shareholders have to look at themselves in the mirror and
decide whether they wish to go into business partnership with porn
peddlers," said Gary Ruskin, Director of Commercial Alert.

	"The mainstreaming of pornography is a national tragedy," said Jim
Metrock, President of Obligation, Inc.  "About.com provides visitors
with help in finding prostitutes, pornographic films, and links to sites
like ‘TeenX -- the Best Teen Site on the Web!' and ‘All Teen Pix.'"

	On October 23rd, The New York Times reported that some of the largest
multinational corporations, such as AT&T and General Motors, are major
distributors of pornography.  "The General Motors Corporation, the
world's largest company, now sells more graphic sex films than does
Larry Flynt, owner of the Hustler empire."

	"This is what's worst about big business today -- the incessant
peddling of materialism, violence, pornography, addiction,
self-indulgence and anti-social behavior," Ruskin said. "The more
cultural sewage, the better, as long as it's profitable."

	Ruskin noted that this may be a cautionary tale for schools that bring
corporate marketers into the classroom.  "When you let the camel's nose
into the tent, you might end up getting the whole camel.  Now the
schools are starting to smell the camel," Ruskin said.

	 "The public needs to know who is talking to their kids," Metrock
said.  "I have serious concerns about Primedia's influence on children
with its Seventeen magazine and its very controversial Channel One
program. If Internet porn is acceptable to Primedia, then the public
will find Primedia an unacceptable provider of content to children."

	Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition Executive Director, is a
lobbyist for Primedia's Channel One.  

	"Does Ralph Reed want to associate himself with a corporation that
promotes ‘Schoolgirls4U'?" Ruskin asked.

	Commercial Alert opposes corporate exploitation of children and the
excesses of commercialism, advertising and marketing. Commercial Alert's
web page is at <http://www.essential.org/alert/>. 

	Obligation, Inc. works to remind businesses and governments of their
responsibility to children. Obligation's website is at
<http://www.obligation.org/>. 

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Commercial Alert opposes the excesses of commercialism, advertising and
marketing.  Commercial Alert's website is at
<http://www.essential.org/alert/>.

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Gary Ruskin | Commercial Alert 
1611 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite #3A | Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 296-2787 | Fax (202) 833-2406
http://www.essential.org/alert/ | mailto:gary@essential.org
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