Articles by Harlen B. Yaffe

opinion

Down the Aisle

Gay Pride spans the summer months and this summer, we have some things to be proud about. In the words of President Obama, “I have certified and notified Congress that the requirements for repeal have been met,” Obama said in a statement. “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will end, once and for all, in 60 days – on Sept. 20.” I will spare the “won the battle but lost the war: metaphor: we have come a long way baby, but there’s so long still to go.

Harlen B. Yaffe ·
opinion

Think Pink, Then Think Again

Maggie Prescott marches though the manicured headquarters of “Quality Magazine” in the ultra-chic Technicolor love letter to all things fabulously ’50s, Funny Face, commandeers the intercom system and issues an order that has echoed 50 years later in the offices of some of the biggest companies: “Banish the black, burn the blue and bury the beige —from now on, think pink!” With tube sites multiplying at a rate that would rabbits to shame, the number of productive affiliates plummeting faster than an Arab dictator’s approval rating, and content being pirated faster then the latest designer bag, it seems perfectly logical that a straight program would seek to augment their revenue stream with a gay program. Just as the bean counters found out during the course of the movie, however, turning pink into the new green is not as easy as it sounds.

Harlen B. Yaffe ·
opinion

Fight the Good Fight!

It was two years ago this month when Mr. Deeds, or in our case, Larry Flynt and Joe Francis, headed to Washington on a mission: “With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind. It’s time for Congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America,” Flynt said.

Harlen B. Yaffe ·
opinion

Advertising: The Bare Facts

The power of advertising never ceases to amaze me. Even more astonishing, considering I have made my living on in the internet for the past eight years, was the realization that I had never acquiesced mentally to include online advertising in this robust avenue of social change. Given the amount of weekly promotion done for the Pride- Bucks’ family of sites, adding the role of “advertiser” kind of snuck in there on me like the freshmen 15; but, whoop, there it is. As we end the year, I thought it was prudent to really take a look at kind of messages we are sending out.

Harlen B. Yaffe ·