ARTICLES

L.A. Times Cuts Sex Clubs out of Sports Section

DID SAN DIEGO LETTER-WRITERS HELP?

John Bowen, parishioner at Coronado's Sacred Heart Church, in his own words, "hit the overload" when he read the March 2, 1998 Los Angeles Times sports section. One-third of a page was covered with ads for adult clubs (topless bars, live sex shows), the most he'd ever seen. Bowen, a long-time Times subscriber, emphasizes that he was not unhappy with the Times in general: "The L.A. Times is a great paper; I love it."

In his March ll letter requesting that the Times drop adult club ads, Bowen highlighted their effect on youth: "I would venture to guess that the sports section is the only section of any paper read by 95 percent of preadolescent and teenage males.... By accepting and publishing this type of advertising there you are directly contributing to their perception of women and their role in the world. Ultimately, then, you are also having an impact on the manner in which they will treat women. And I can see absolutely nothing good that can come of the message that they are bombarded with on a daily basis in the sports section."

In her April 1 response to Bowen, Kim McCleary-La France, Times advertising director, defended the ads on the basis that the Times handled them to minimize offense to readers, and indicated that suggestions from readers was taken into account in advertising guideline reviews. He wrote back to her on April 7, "What percentage [of the young men who frequent adult clubs] develop an attitude towards women that...eases their mindset toward violent sexual acts?" After making a follow-up phone call to the Times in May, "It was clear to me that I had struck a chord," Bowen said. "I just got a feeling that I was being told, 'You have a good point.'"

In October Bowen received a letter from Mark Sande, general manager of the Times sports section, informing him that "we have indeed reviewed our policy and reached the decision not to accept adult club advertising in Sports or in any other section of the Times, beginning December 1.... Your thoughtful comments have helped us reach a decision that is consistent with your views. Everything we do at the Times carries with it the ultimate goal of improving the performance of society. I think this change in policy helps move us closer to that ideal."

Bowen is confident that his efforts had an impact: "One person can accomplish something just by writing and getting involved.... ...and being persistent.... I'm sure there were probably some other people that wrote and complained.... If you just write and say, 'Hey, I don't like this; stop it,' that doesn't really do much good. But if you... point out a good reason why that change is worth considering, then people tend to pay attention to you."

Another San Diego County resident wrote and complained to the Times in late 1997 and October 1998. "What bothered me about these ads is that ... they try to give freebies for men during lunch time, and then people come back [and get hooked]," he said. His objection to adult clubs and pornography merchants is that they portray women as sexual objects, and points out that "social parameters are needed to maintain order in any society." In an October 26 letter very similar to that received by Bowen, but signed by Kathryn Downing, Times president and chief executive officer, he was notified of the new policy. "I don't attribute this ... policy change to any individual, to any organization," the resident commented. "It was no organized effort by anybody. This guy [Bowen] didn't know about me; I didn't know about him, and other people. It wasn't a great number of people [who urged the L.A. Times to drop the adult club ads]. I honestly consider it a miracle that it happened...because of the fact that this newspaper is...located in a city that the Economist [a British news magazine], I think in 1989, called the video porn capital of the world."

Asked whether reader feedback on the adult club ads was a factor in changing the policy, Julie Wilson, president of the Times' San Fernando Valley and Ventura County edition, responded, "It wasn't like we felt tremendous pressure, or that we felt like we were losing a lot of readers. I think we're always looking for how we can improve the environment for both our readers and our other advertisers, and that was one thing that we felt could improve the environment." She added, "The response from the community [to the new ad policy] has been really positive."

A Times employee in the San Fernando Valley edition's advertising section explained that the Times' new ad policy prohibits ads from businesses that provide "a live, adult, overtly sexual experience." Ads from adult bookstores or video stores can be still be accepted, provided the business doesn't provide such an experience. She believes the Valley edition is currently receiving few adult merchandise ads, and commented that public response to the new policy has been more positive than negative.

The Orange County Register accepts ads from adult clubs and adult merchandise stores. "Everything that we do comes from a libertarian philosophy," explained Sandy Muir, advertising sales representative for the Register. "If the reader doesn't like what they see in the paper, turn the page." The ads are scrutinized, modified and positioned so as to minimize offense to readers.

In San Diego County, the North County Times has no official, written policy on sexually oriented business ads, but according to Kevin Leap, retail advertising manager, the newspaper does not accept ads for live, nude entertainment. A source at the Daily Californian explained that it has no policy on such ads; it evaluates ads on the basis of good taste. Comment from the San Diego Union-Tribune could not be obtained by press time. From December 24 to January 15 the U-T ran five ads for adult merchandise stores and one for an adult motel, all in the sports section. No ads for adult clubs were featured.