There were occasional references, especially in the 70's. There was a snip about the "Cheeks" jeans controversy. A jeans company published an ad showing a woman, wearing their product, bent over and being spanked by a man, also wearing the product. The feminists howled and the ad was pulled. It was reported, however, that the women's line sold much beter than the men's.
The only extended story I recall was about a male reporter who wanted to check out what this spanking business was all about. He made contact through a personals column and a woman showed up to be spanked. The whole business was extremely awkward. He then discovered that the woman was a reporter too, and they agreed to try something a bit more "normal." (Hey, it was the 70's.)