"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

[TremoluxMan]

A 'penetrating' investigation into porn? Cute. Real cute.

[randman2009]

Well played Huff Po, well played.

[politisophical]

First day: man creates fiber optics - the first divine command.

Second day: man creates a fiber optic relay system - the second command - to divide old slow copper lines and the high speed fiber optic system

Third day: man commands the creation of a internet with net neutrality

Fourth day: man creates a nation wide high speed system that reaches hundreds of millions

Fifth day: man commands the internet have a wide variate of pages from birds to porn

Sixth day: man commands the computers to be fast He makes internet pages to learn about wild beasts, livestock, reptiles, and porn. (eighth command). They are told to be fast, and multiply in speed, and fill the earth, and subdue it." the internet and computers are given electricity to eat. The totality of internet is described by man as "very good."

Seventh day: man, having completed the computers and the internet, rests from His work, and blesses and sanctifies the seventh day with porn.

[mapleaforever]

My insomnia is cured.

[CptKendrick]

If it wasn't for porn, none of you would be able to post comments here today.

If it wasn't for porn, the Internet would still be a hodge-podge collection of dial-up services to BBS sites.

(That's text-based Bulletin Board Service for those of you who who started using the Internet after porn led the vanguard into the digital revolution.)

[Wolves50]

I'm going to venture a guess that you spend at least a couple hours a day helping to create a better internet. :)

[CptKendrick]

Wellllllll.....my palm does, at least.

[Joethepauper]

Without "porn", we might not even have photography, paintings, sculptures, or other forms of art. Humans were naked on the savannahs of Africa for millions of years, but as soon as we started wearing clothing, we started depicting nudes in art. Pastafarians rule!

[revhatchell]

nbc new porn schedule:

mateline nbc
law & orgy
poker after dark
meat the press
30 c*ck
the orifice

[pritikina]

What a terribly lazy and obvious pun. A "penetrating" look inside the porn industry? Come on, Huff Po, please offer us better writing than this.

[krisgarfield]

So someone put a gun to your head and MADE you check this out....

[Wolves50]

LMAO...........Well put.

[Bryan Marks]

Jess Jane is hot, how come more girls don't try to look like her, she is pretty much perfect

[NCOak]

gtfo with that plastic look

[Tyler-Durden]

i like the asian woman much more.

[MHusseinH]

amen to that brother!

[Strywever]

Can't tell you how much we women love being discussed like sides of beef.

You guys don't date much, do you?

[CptKendrick]

Actually, I'm married.
And we both love to bang.

[Wolves50]

Come on now.........it's not necessarily meant to be insulting. If only you could spend a week inside the mind of typical male.

[faceplant]

I've overheard women discussing men in similar ways often enough. I checked the comments out just so I could pounce on the first one of these I saw. It reflects a double standard women would like to impose. As for the article, I didn't bother. I think I know whatever I need to know about the pron industry, and it's kinda depressing.

[GuyFawkes]

Just like men love being discussed like they're ATM machines.

But, oh right. You're attracted to a man for their sense of humor. As Chris Rock once said, "No woman is ever attracted to a guy for their sense of humor. What they mean is that they hope the guy they're attracted to also has a sense of humor."

[innerpeace]

women say the same types of things about men.

[romchr]

Wow. That's crazy talk.

[greginwva]

If that reporter really believes Jesse jane is an average looking blond porn star,she didnt do any recearch .Im not sure there are plenty of mainstream Hollywood leading ladies as good looking as Jesse Jane.

[romchr]

More crazy talk!

[lilbro]

Penetratiing investigation?!!!! the pun is grossly out of place

[kev1000]

That's what she said!!!

[Tperl]

Good Job CNBC. Isn't the United States involved in two wars right now?

[What A Gal]

CNBC is business news...

[cplKlyde]

And we all know there is no money spent on war efforts.

[vfs11]

mel lee starring in PACIFIC RIM JOB.

[runner 08]

Porn is not about sex. It's about insecuirty and ego trying to get a fix by using sex.

The lovers I've had who were into porn were generally dull -- definitely NOT sexy. They couldn't relate unless there was some gamey little vid or a stroke magazine in the vicinity.

[RJC]

Define " Relate " is that a new euphemism, like Gov Sanford's " Sparking "

[Dr Manhattan]

LOL I'm sure you had nothing to do with it.

[mapleaforever]

Inspiration before perspiration.

[mnyobpres]

EXTREME WASTE!

[CheshireCat2]

IS that the same as COMPLETE WASTE?

If so, we are on the same page.

[FinkeldorfFiddlestix]

Busted

[Whitley2009]

$13,000,000,000 a year? For a little acting?

Stella! I cudda been a contenda!

[mapleaforever]

Just short of success?

[dnddays]

The internet is for porn.

[Tperl]

The internet exists because of porn. Streaming video, password encryption and many other innovations were driven by this industry.

[ThermoChemist]

Actually, porn has been a driving force for many developments in net technologies (AND early adopters of new technologies).

"Online pornographers have been among the first to exploit new technology for more than a decade -- from video-streaming and fee-based subscriptions to pop-up ads and electronic billing."

"The long partnership of tech and titillation precedes the computer age. Nude portraits were among the first photos taken. Middling VCR sales soared with the advent of adult videotapes. Porn peddlers promulgated the popularity of 900-phone numbers and pay-per-view television."

Some of the new technology:

-- Digital-rights management software.

-- Playa Solutions, has developed software that wraps digital content in a high-tech force field of sorts.

-- Video-on-demand billing.

-- Wireless services. XTCMobile.com transmits porn video-clips of two to four minutes to cell phones. XTCMobile is working with phone carriers to include child-protection features.

-- Geo-location software.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2004-03-09-onlineporn_x.htm

[Drash]

I watched most of it and thought the use of an Asian female reporter wearing heavy make-up and fishnet stockings was pretty funny.

[Ping]

She's a Harvard grad.

[Oxonian2001]

So was GWB.

[NCOak]

right, because all asian women are sex toys. maybe if you had experience with any outside of jerking off over them in porn you'd have a different perspective....creep.

[ModernMisanthrope]

I submit Lee's appearance is a function of western media's fetishistic obsession with asian sexuality which she can't help but internalize to some degree as your prototypical graduated with honors from Harvard College "model minority". I'm grossly oversimplifying of course, but i don't think it's too much of a stretch. You go to Harvard and end up following around a porn star in with your boobs out? Please? Have some self-respect. That said, she is pretty hot. Alas, I contain multitudes.

[MHusseinH]

Actually I had to play the video because I couldn't tell which one was the porn star.

[Drash]

I've never done that, but thanks for the idea!

Point is, she didn't help herself or destroy any stereotypes by piling on the make-up and wearing fishnet hose while reporting on the porn industry.

[cplKlyde]

Because he dressed her up like a porn star

[Tom95134]

CNBC is a business channel and nor matter what you may think of pornography, it is good business in that it makes a lot of money for the companies and creates lots of jobs (for many more people other than just the models).

[CheshireCat2]

The question is, if it weren't spent there, where would it be spent?

[JaneQCitizen]

It must be July sweeps.