Spectator (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Spectator Magazine was an American
weekly newspaper published and distributed in San Francisco from 1978 until October 2005, and dubbed itself "California's original adult newsmagazine". The magazine in tabloid format featured sex
and BDSM
related stories and advice as well as numerous advertisements for phone sex
, strip club
s and other sex businesses. The paper was distributed through news rack
s, adult book stores, strip clubs and some general stores.
Publisher and owner Kat Sunlove was interviewed for Wendy McElroy
's 1995 book XXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography. She related how the Spectator Magazine originated in 1978 as the adult-services advertising portion of the earlier free-speech paper Berkeley Barb
. In 1987, the Spectator's employees bought the paper.
The publication was sold to Dara Lynne Dahl and W. Vann Hall in January 2002, with Dara taking the role of Editor in Chief. In April of that year, rival publication Yank began legal action against Spectator, alleging unfair competition, interference with business advantage, slander, and conversion. The results were hard times for the paper with fewer and fewer articles and more and more blatant sex content, loss of the corporate status, and eventual abandonment by Ms. Dahl amidst a variety of legal problems in 2004.
In 2004, an attempt was made to revive the paper with an updated educational twist. The editorial duties were taken up by Heath Weaver-Hall and Terry Hall. Many improvements to content were made including how-to, advice, and nightlife columns, but the market for the paper had moved to the internet and the debts held by the paper were too large to keep it going. The paper stopped publishing in October 2005.
The one person who saw The Spectator through all its inceptions was Dave Patrick who was the principal photographer and managing editor for the paper for many years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
weekly newspaper published and distributed in San Francisco from 1978 until October 2005, and dubbed itself "California's original adult newsmagazine". The magazine in tabloid format featured sex
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
and BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
related stories and advice as well as numerous advertisements for phone sex
Phone sex
Phone sex is a type of virtual sex that refers to sexually explicit conversation between or other persons via telephone, especially when at least one of the participants masturbates or engages in sexual fantasy...
, strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
s and other sex businesses. The paper was distributed through news rack
Newspaper vending machine
A newspaper vending machine or newspaper rack is a vending machine designed to distribute newspapers. Newspaper vending machines are used worldwide, and they are often one of the main distribution methods for newspaper publishers.-History:...
s, adult book stores, strip clubs and some general stores.
Publisher and owner Kat Sunlove was interviewed for Wendy McElroy
Wendy McElroy
Wendy McElroy is a Canadian individualist anarchist and individualist feminist. She was a co-founder along with Carl Watner and George H. Smith of The Voluntaryist in 1982.-Sex-positive:...
's 1995 book XXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography. She related how the Spectator Magazine originated in 1978 as the adult-services advertising portion of the earlier free-speech paper Berkeley Barb
Berkeley Barb
The Berkeley Barb was a weekly underground newspaper that was published in Berkeley, California, from 1965 to 1980. It was one of the first and most influential of the counterculture newspapers of the late 1960s, covering such subjects as the anti-war and civil-rights movements as well as the...
. In 1987, the Spectator's employees bought the paper.
The publication was sold to Dara Lynne Dahl and W. Vann Hall in January 2002, with Dara taking the role of Editor in Chief. In April of that year, rival publication Yank began legal action against Spectator, alleging unfair competition, interference with business advantage, slander, and conversion. The results were hard times for the paper with fewer and fewer articles and more and more blatant sex content, loss of the corporate status, and eventual abandonment by Ms. Dahl amidst a variety of legal problems in 2004.
In 2004, an attempt was made to revive the paper with an updated educational twist. The editorial duties were taken up by Heath Weaver-Hall and Terry Hall. Many improvements to content were made including how-to, advice, and nightlife columns, but the market for the paper had moved to the internet and the debts held by the paper were too large to keep it going. The paper stopped publishing in October 2005.
The one person who saw The Spectator through all its inceptions was Dave Patrick who was the principal photographer and managing editor for the paper for many years.
External links
- Spectator.net, from the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...