It may be sad, but not surprising, that a dating web site catering to people already in relationships - and looking for someone with whom they can have an affair - has found a profitable niche in the marketplace.

But one Salt Lake City radio station wants no part of it.

As I reported in today's Tribune, KXRK-FM, a k a X96, pulled ads for The Ashley Madison Agency, after only a few hours. Craig Simmons, president of the Simmons Media Group (X96's owners), ordered the ads removed - and if he had heard them beforehand, he wouldn't have allowed them in the first place. (The ads also are running on The Blaze 97.5.)

The article prompted this e-mail from Bill Mitchell, a nationally-known private investigator based in South Carolina, who worked with "The Dr. Phil Show" on an episode about online infidelity. Here's Mitchell's take on The Ashley Madison Agency:

We set up a sting operation in Los Angeles to see just how their system worked. Within 45 minutes, our female "operative" had 200 men wanting to meet up with her. We caught one of their married members on the streets of L.A. seeking to connect with our producer.

The service they provide is merely driven by RMR (reoccurring monthly revenue), and sadly they are making millions. It’s almost like prostitution. You pay for sex.

Some may find it ironic that such a service is looking for business in conservative Utah. But the numbers - 21,268 members in Utah, with more than half of them joining in the last 12 months - just prove that Utah isn't as different as the rest of the country after all.

Labels: internet