February 7, 2005
For Immediate Release
Contact:

Maryam Kubasek
Director of Communications
National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families
513/521-6227, ext. 111

Cincinnati -- Former “conservative” cable provider Adelphia has partnered with Playboy to provide the raunchiest fare on pay-TV available in their Southern California market. 

“Profitability and popularity are terrible criteria for evaluating worth, especially related to moral issues such as pornography,” said Rick Schatz, president and CEO of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families. “Adelphia, once considered conservative when they removed the Spice channel because it was considered too racy for viewers, is now chanting a new corporate mantra: sex sells.”

The pornographic fare offered by Adelphia as triple-X is the most extreme and explicit variety currently available anywhere on cable TV.  But cable companies and the porn industry are bearing no responsibility for continuing to push pornography on unsuspecting consumers.  In fact, they claim they are only providing a service that people are more than willing to pay for. And they assert that with current legal regulations, pay-TV such as cable and satellite programming is a legitimate venue to distribute their productions.

Adelphia may be the king of cable porn and a popular target of outrage now, but they are far from alone at the top of the heap of corporate offenders who assume no responsibility for their actions and continue to put profit ahead of principle.  Adelphia easily assuages its conscience with the fact that satellite providers have carved out a 20% share of the pay-TV market and have offered triple-X programming for years. In addition, hard-core pornography on the Internet continues to be extremely profitable.  Combined, the pornography industry with its strip clubs, magazines, Internet sites, TV and DVD sales is larger than box-office receipts from Hollywood movies! 

“Until this trend is realized and reversed, companies like Adelphia will shirk their individual responsibility and replace it with their seemingly benign policy of providing what the public wants – regardless of the harm to individuals, families and the community as a whole,” said Schatz.

The National Coalition is asking concerned citizens to write the Department of Justice and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, voicing concern over Adelphia’s decision to offer triple-X pornography.  Their contact information can be found by visiting http://www.usdoj.gov.