Critics wonder if John TV is curbing prostitution

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man pulls his car to the side of the road. An extravagantly-dressed woman walks up. They agree on a price.

Moments later, the man is arrested and his color photograph is taken and plastered onto Kansas City's municipal cable station.

So-called John TV was introduced four years ago to shame prostitutes and their customers. Since then, hundreds of men and women have had their faces and names on television.

The unusual program drew praise early on for deterring prostitution, but now authorities wonder whether it's really having an effect. Even the show's biggest supporter questions whether the program has any bang in it anymore.

"We had a huge impact in the beginning," said Councilwoman Teresa Loar. "Maybe the notoriety of the program has worn off. ... I'm not sure it's having the impact today of when we started."

Prostitution arrests have almost doubled since before the show began, but police say the increase stems from a corresponding rise in sting operations.

Arrests dropped at first

The show's 1997 debut had a huge impact on prostitution: arrests dropped about 50 percent in the first month. Police had to cancel the show several times because there were no photos to display.

But now, photos are a dime a dozen. This month's show, which airs nine times weekly, goes for seven minutes. That's long for John TV, said KCCG-TV producer Jon Trozzolo.

Support for John TV has traditionally been strong in Kansas City's City Council. Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Brooks said it has deterred some men from using prostitutes.

"It's effective because if nobody's buying, you can't sell it," said Brooks, a former police officer.

Martin Monto, chairman of social and behavioral sciences at the University of Portland in Portland, Ore., said other cities have similar programs using newspaper advertisements and Web sites instead of television.

Monto said the programs are effective no matter what the medium used.