LEBANON — A council member has voiced concern that the city could be a potential target for an anti-pornography group because it offers adult entertainment to viewers on the city-operated cable system.

        Discussion at city council's work session Tuesday was prompted by a Mason hotel's decision last week to discontinue offering pay-per-view adult movies to guests after threats of legal action by the Warren County prosecutor. Complaints to Prosecutor Tim Oliver from Citizens for Community Values (CCV) sparked a warning to Cincinnati Marriott Northeast that the hotel was in violation of the state's obscenity laws and could be brought up on charges if the service continued.

        After CCV's “aggressive” move to challenge the hotel, council member Norm Dreyer said, “Maybe we should look at our own situation and make sure we aren't violating any laws.”

        In light of council's concern, Jim Baldwin, Lebanon's director of telecommunications, said he is confident the city's cable system is following state guidelines on obscenity. “We do not allow material that we know to be obscene,” said Mr. Baldwin, also an attorney who has worked obscenity cases.

        Consistent with other major cable providers, Lebanon offers a variety of channel line-ups, some with pay-per-view options of adult entertainment networks, such as Hot Choice, Playboy, and Spice.

        Mr. Baldwin said the city “does not act as a censor for programming,” but asks programmers if they show X-rated content.

        “If they say yes, we don't put it on.”

        David Miller, vice president of CCV, said expiration dates of municipality cable contracts are kept on file with the group and remain on the “radar” as possible violators. After last week's victory, group officials vowed to continue and expand their anti-pornography battle throughout Greater Cincinnati.

        As for Lebanon, Mr. Miller said, “We would love for Tim Oliver to look at them next,” before adding, “We don't know whether these materials in Lebanon are obscene until you take it to a jury.”

        Mr. Oliver said he hadn't received any complaints about Lebanon programming so far.

        “It is a crime in the state of Ohio to disseminate or distribute obscene material. It doesn't matter who is doing it,” he said, adding that obscenity cases are viewed individually.

        If the city “is distributing obscene material, it would be a concern to us.”

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