"Pleasure: Business Of Porn": CNBC's Penetrating Investigation Into The Porn Industry (VIDEO)

Via Gawker comes this penetrating CNBC investigation into the danger looming over one of the nation's most cherished and important industries: pornography. CNBC helpfully explains that "pornography has been around since the time of the caveman" and that "it's a $13 billion industry where the bottom line has always been sex sells."

Intrepid reporter Melissa Lee interviewed beloved adult-film star Jess Jane to get some inside information on the inustry. A sample question from Lee: How do you differentiate yourself from all the other blond, busty porn stars? Jane's answer: 'I'm more personable.'

In case you were on the fence about watching the clip below, CNBC offers this priceless teaser line: "But is the very same technology that brought it riches bringing the business of skin to it's knees? Melissa Lee reports." Nice.

WATCH:

Send us tips! Write us at [e-mail] if you see any newsworthy or notable TV moments. Read more about our media monitoring project here and click here to join the Media Monitors team.

Comments

[TheAntiNixon]

just had to throw in the double entendre innuendo....

[DonCosenza]

I see what you did there. "Penetrating" ... very clever.

[RumiSouth]

The new complaint from porn starlets? NOT ENOUGH DIALOGUE.

Seriously!

http://www.thenewwearsoff.com/?p=489

[Wonderwheel]

A hard in depth probe of pornorgraphy has not yet come on the news shows.

[Writegirl18]

Stiff competition in that business ....

[flydoghead]

It's just too bad that Walter Cronkite hadn't lived long enough to cover this story.

[SSF]

"Penetrating" investigation by CBS? Interesting choice of words....

[lordjin]

i think "probing investigation" would have worked well too.

[Dr Manhattan]

Looks boring . Maybe Melissa Lee needs to do some undercover, indepth reporting on the subject.

[roninroshi]

If your cute and have a great body and like to get down on film...you don't need a brain.

[SSF]

So what's good for porn is also good for politics!

[Leper]

I hope they don't withdraw it too soon. That would be frustrating.

[JDM73]

Porn is great, but I wish there were fewer generic, blonde, silicon-breasted types and more Georgina Spelvins.

[gamoonbat]

A penetrating two-way exchange. Double-headed, one blonde and one black with two more for us to guess about. Jane racks up a great interview, and Melissa Lee gets an exclusive.

[Palemoon]

Why don't they ever show the men behind the industry who largely own everything, including the women via contracts? Is that the ugly side of the business they don't want talked about?

[cb287]

That is not true. Many of the newer production companies are, in fact, owned by women (both Jill Kelly and Jenna Jameson own their own companies). I also recently read an interview with Ron Jeremy in he said that the industry is ran by women, for women and that top female performers earn 150,000 to 250,000/year while the average male performer will pull in maybe 40,000.

Certainly there is a dark underbelly of the porn industry (much like any industry), but mainstream porn is not as bad as we would be made to believe.

A parting point: It seems like our society has reached a point where is just unthinkable that women actually enjoy sex so much that they would want to pursue it as a profession.

[Palemoon]

Really? I thought Jenna sold her company, and that Jill Kelly was sued out of her own company? Yes, through some legal maneuver, Jill Kelly doesn't even own the company which bears her name.

[talkingdog]

On the face with it, it's REALLY hard to argue with your points.
It seems like a long hard probe will reveal the inner secrets and bring it to a head.
In the end, women like it just like the men.

[PresidentRobertBooth]

Is prostitution illegal if you simply say the money you paid to the hooker was a "gift" rather than a "payment?"

[berzelius]

That is how escort services operate. Money is for time spent together. The sex is somehting that happens consentually during this time spent together.

[johnr49]

Nice reference to senator Ensign!

[DonCosenza]

It depends on if you're giving the "gift" to a real escort or to an undercover police officer.

[revko]

This investigation will more than likely suck

[gamoonbat]

It is sure to turn up juicy tidbits, though!