WASHINGTON (September 27, 2011) – Comcast/NBC‟s new series, “The Playboy Club,” tried again last night in its second episode to make sexual exploitation interesting enough to earn a profit. It failed, this time without the support of many of its key sponsors. Viewership for the show is down 15% this week over last, coming in dead last among shows in that time slot.
“It is increasingly clear that the series is doomed,” said Dawn Hawkins, executive director of Morality in Media. “The primetime show shamelessly glamorized posing on the cover of Playboy Magazine for a cash prize, leaving many wondering why companies want to taint their products through association with the Playboy brand.
“The show‟s new theme seemed to be: „women get ahead in life through sexual objectification.‟ This should be offensive to every women in America,” said Hawkins.
Hawkins said the lame dialogue of the show was nothing more than an attempt to justify the show itself, with lines such as: “In my bunny suit, I‟m in total control; I want to be a Playmate because I want to show people that I can do big things,” with the most incredulous line uttered: “Being a bunny is something to be proud of, which is exactly why Hef and I are doing this (Playboy) magazine campaign. To show the world that a bunny is a smart, independent girl focused not on what men wan, but on what she wants.”
This past week thousands of citizens contacted the show‟s previous sponsors, asking that they reconsider aligning their brand with blatant exploitation of women. Seven avoided the show this week: Kraft, Sprint, Levono, UPS Store, Subway, PF Chang‟s China Bistro and Campbell‟s Soup.
MIM will continually update the advertiser contact information at www.CloseTheClubOnNBC.com, providing concerned citizens with a one-click solution for reaching the show‟s sponsors.
About Morality in Media
Morality in Media, Inc. is the leading national organization focused on opposing pornography and indecency through public education and the application of the law. MIM is leading The War on Illegal Pornography, a coalition of more than 115 national and state groups whose goal is to stop the distribution of illegal pornography. For more information visit www.WarOnIllegalPornography.com, www.PornHarms.com and www.MoralityInMedia.org.
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