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CNN Live Event/Special
Interview With Larry Flynt
Aired August 13, 2003 - 20:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: California's releasing its final list of gubernatorial candidates tonight the list is out and CNN's Miguel Marquez is standing by with the latest information. He's joining us from the capitol of Sacramento. Any big surprises there, Miguel?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Well, we don't know a whole lot Wolf, but I can tell you there is in fact a list, but at this point, it's online. We're actually using a little wireless modem here to see this list. I can read you what the secretary of state has now said in this press release.
There are 135 candidates on the list, which accompanies this press release and is posted to the secretary of state's Web site so you can see the entire list. They'll be bringing that list down shortly. He also has a quote on here, now that the candidate list is complete, ballot printing can be done on a county by county basis for printing. Our next taxt is to turn our attention to the mechanics of the October 7 to we can work on the details of a smooth election day operation.
Certainly, that's a concern for them given the truncated time they had to put this together. But 135 people out of 247 people that qualified. So, almost 100 or so were disqualified in this process. Either they didn't have the signatures properly done or the $3,500 necessary to qualify -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Miguel Marquez with the latest. The near 135 candidates on that ballot, thanks very much.
The publisher of "Penthouse" magazine filed for bankruptcy protection today. General Media says the magazine's circulation is down by nearly half since 1998 and it's about $40 million in debt. "Penthouse" was founded, of course, by Robert Giocioni in 1965. But the sex industry is a lot different now.
Let's hear from an expert. The "Hustler" magazine publisher Larry Flynt is joining us live from Los Angeles. He's also, of course, a candidate for governor in the California recall.
Before we get to "Penthouse", very quickly, I assume your name is a monk those 135 on the final list, is that right, Larry?
LARRY FLYNT, PUBLISHER "HUSTLER" MAGAZINE: I would hope so.
BLITZER: Are you really serious about running for governor? You think you really have a shot? FLYNT: I have no delusions about being governor of California. Even if elected, I would not seek a second term. My motivation for getting in the race, is California has some very serious problems, and I had some solutions that I felt other candidates would not raise.
I wanted to eliminate the deficit, by expanding gaming operations to allow slot machines and private casinos. I felt this would be the least painful way to do it. Nobody is going to get their tax increase and no social programs will be cut. Not only that, immigration is a big drain on California. Something needs to be done about that. We -- in the last two decades in California, we spent billions of dollars on prisons just to warehouse people. We need to spend more money on intervention.
BLITZER: I'm going to interrupt you Larry...
FLYNT: And less on incarceration.
BLITZER: I just want to apologize. I want to interrupt you because I know you have a lot of campaign issues, a specific platform you want to run on. You're under no illusions, though, you obviously don't believe you're going to get elected. But we'll watch this election in the next two months or so.
Let me ask you in an area where you really are an expert. The area of magazine publishing and lurid sexual magazines. If you will, what happened to "Penthouse" magazine? Why is it in so much trouble? If we take a look at the circulation. We'll put some numbers on the screen. Look, "Penthouse" went from 1 million circulation to roughly about 1/2 million in 2002 at a time when "Playboy" has stayed more than 3 million static. What happened to "Penthouse?"
FLYNT: Well, I don't think they realized the impact the Internet was going to have. When we began to assess, as we started diversifying, we got in the video business, the casino business, the adult entertainment, with the production of video. We're very big on the Internet as well. So this diversification spared us of the ills that Mr. Giocuino is facing now by having to file bankruptcy
BLITZER: Is "Hutler" -- I was going to say, how's "Hustler" doing?
FLYNT: "Hustler" is the most profitable of all of the companies, including "Playboy."
BLITZER: When you say the computer, the Internet has hurt "Penthouse," that's because so much of this kind of material is readily available on the Internet?
FLYNT: No. It's not so much that, I mean publishing in general has been hurt by the Internet, because so many people today are getting their information, not just downloading nudey photographs, but all sorts of information and publishing, as a whole, has really take an hit.
BLITZER: And a lot of people suspect that "Penthouse," because of the hard core nature of the porn turned off a lot of advertisers which got into deep trouble. Let me end this interview, Larry by in forming you and our interviewers we just have confirmed from Sacramento that your name did make the finalist. You are among the 135 candidates officially certified to run for governor of California. In that october 7 contest.
FLYNT: Well, we're going to do some polling. If the polling puts me in the double-digits, I'm going to spend some money and go the distance.
BLITZER: All right. We'll see what happens. Larry flynt, thanks for joining us.
FLYNT: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 13, 2003 - 20:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: California's releasing its final list of gubernatorial candidates tonight the list is out and CNN's Miguel Marquez is standing by with the latest information. He's joining us from the capitol of Sacramento. Any big surprises there, Miguel?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Well, we don't know a whole lot Wolf, but I can tell you there is in fact a list, but at this point, it's online. We're actually using a little wireless modem here to see this list. I can read you what the secretary of state has now said in this press release.
There are 135 candidates on the list, which accompanies this press release and is posted to the secretary of state's Web site so you can see the entire list. They'll be bringing that list down shortly. He also has a quote on here, now that the candidate list is complete, ballot printing can be done on a county by county basis for printing. Our next taxt is to turn our attention to the mechanics of the October 7 to we can work on the details of a smooth election day operation.
Certainly, that's a concern for them given the truncated time they had to put this together. But 135 people out of 247 people that qualified. So, almost 100 or so were disqualified in this process. Either they didn't have the signatures properly done or the $3,500 necessary to qualify -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Miguel Marquez with the latest. The near 135 candidates on that ballot, thanks very much.
The publisher of "Penthouse" magazine filed for bankruptcy protection today. General Media says the magazine's circulation is down by nearly half since 1998 and it's about $40 million in debt. "Penthouse" was founded, of course, by Robert Giocioni in 1965. But the sex industry is a lot different now.
Let's hear from an expert. The "Hustler" magazine publisher Larry Flynt is joining us live from Los Angeles. He's also, of course, a candidate for governor in the California recall.
Before we get to "Penthouse", very quickly, I assume your name is a monk those 135 on the final list, is that right, Larry?
LARRY FLYNT, PUBLISHER "HUSTLER" MAGAZINE: I would hope so.
BLITZER: Are you really serious about running for governor? You think you really have a shot? FLYNT: I have no delusions about being governor of California. Even if elected, I would not seek a second term. My motivation for getting in the race, is California has some very serious problems, and I had some solutions that I felt other candidates would not raise.
I wanted to eliminate the deficit, by expanding gaming operations to allow slot machines and private casinos. I felt this would be the least painful way to do it. Nobody is going to get their tax increase and no social programs will be cut. Not only that, immigration is a big drain on California. Something needs to be done about that. We -- in the last two decades in California, we spent billions of dollars on prisons just to warehouse people. We need to spend more money on intervention.
BLITZER: I'm going to interrupt you Larry...
FLYNT: And less on incarceration.
BLITZER: I just want to apologize. I want to interrupt you because I know you have a lot of campaign issues, a specific platform you want to run on. You're under no illusions, though, you obviously don't believe you're going to get elected. But we'll watch this election in the next two months or so.
Let me ask you in an area where you really are an expert. The area of magazine publishing and lurid sexual magazines. If you will, what happened to "Penthouse" magazine? Why is it in so much trouble? If we take a look at the circulation. We'll put some numbers on the screen. Look, "Penthouse" went from 1 million circulation to roughly about 1/2 million in 2002 at a time when "Playboy" has stayed more than 3 million static. What happened to "Penthouse?"
FLYNT: Well, I don't think they realized the impact the Internet was going to have. When we began to assess, as we started diversifying, we got in the video business, the casino business, the adult entertainment, with the production of video. We're very big on the Internet as well. So this diversification spared us of the ills that Mr. Giocuino is facing now by having to file bankruptcy
BLITZER: Is "Hutler" -- I was going to say, how's "Hustler" doing?
FLYNT: "Hustler" is the most profitable of all of the companies, including "Playboy."
BLITZER: When you say the computer, the Internet has hurt "Penthouse," that's because so much of this kind of material is readily available on the Internet?
FLYNT: No. It's not so much that, I mean publishing in general has been hurt by the Internet, because so many people today are getting their information, not just downloading nudey photographs, but all sorts of information and publishing, as a whole, has really take an hit.
BLITZER: And a lot of people suspect that "Penthouse," because of the hard core nature of the porn turned off a lot of advertisers which got into deep trouble. Let me end this interview, Larry by in forming you and our interviewers we just have confirmed from Sacramento that your name did make the finalist. You are among the 135 candidates officially certified to run for governor of California. In that october 7 contest.
FLYNT: Well, we're going to do some polling. If the polling puts me in the double-digits, I'm going to spend some money and go the distance.
BLITZER: All right. We'll see what happens. Larry flynt, thanks for joining us.
FLYNT: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
