Porn Valley- The story of Movie Gallery's pending $1.2 billion buyout of Hollywood Entertainment/Family Video last month http://adultfyi.com/read.aspx?ID=7867 had the American Family Association up in arms.
So you better believe the full page ad taken out Tuesday in USA Today as well as The Washington Post and The Oregonian http://www.victimsofpornography.org/images/Movie_Gallery-USAToday.pdf has the AFA thumbprints all over it.
Since the merger had been announced, the AFA has been putting out the notion that there will be, in essence, 4500 corporate-style porn stores across American carrying and renting XXX tapes.
I was talking to Bill Margold this morning about this since it was Margold who brought it to my attention. "It was a huge ad in the paper," says Margold who was curious why this hadn't become a big story in the porn community as well.
The ad goes on to tell people that they should be aware that if the name Hollywood Video sounds familiar it's because they have 1900 Family Video stores throughout the country. "If the name Movie Gallery isn't, it's because their 2,200-plus stores are in similar secondary markets," says the ad. "But they're currently negotiating to buy Hollywood's nationwide organization."
The ad is lending the idea that this is a whole wolf in sheep's clothing merger and that the nation will be saturated in porn as a consequence: "Putting them right where they want to be- in front of your family," states the ad.
The ad then refers readers to a piece written in thedeal.com, January 28, 2005 by Richard Morgan which is only accessible if you're a paid subscriber to The Deal, so one might wonder about the kickbacks, residuals and ulterior motives in that reference.
Apparently the front organization in this campaign is Victims of Pornography.org. Signees to the ad include the usual anti-porn suspects, Citizens for Community Values, The American Family Association, Concerned Women for America. Morality in Media, American Decency Association, Parents Television Council and National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Familes.
"What a crock of shit," says Margold. "A page in USA Today can't be cheap. This is a heavy-hitting ad."
