The Playboy empire may be on the auction block. If it can’t find a buyer, it has to figure out how to survive massive losses that show no sign of diminishing.
Last week, the “sophisticated” gentlemen’s magazine had a dismal conference call announcing its fourth quarter and full-year financial results. Jerome Kern, the company’s interim CEO, gulped and reported a 2008 loss of $156 million.
Kern admitted he’s “open to discussions” about a possible sale. In the last six months, the company has eliminated 80 jobs, lost its CEO (founder Hugh Hefner’s daughter Christie), moved back to Chicago, and replaced its editorial director. Critics also complain that the magazine has no internet strategy.
The magazine desperately needs to attract a younger demographic. So it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that one of its problems is that its most visible spokesman is an 82-year old man who pretends he’s sleeping with three attractive young women.
Hugh Hefner seems to have “sophistication” confused with “sophomoric.”
Source: Mediabistro
This post was last modified on October 18, 2023
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Crystal Harris (Hugh Hefner's fiancee) called off the wedding that was due to happen on Saturday. She is now concentrating on her music career. They had a fight over the weekend and she moved out of the Mansion. How sad. I mean this young buck was going to finally start his life with a new bride! In any case...
LOLOLOLOL
I am sorry, but I cannot muster any sympathy for this guy and this girl.
Playboy also has dropped the "sophistication" by associating with more graphic and violent forms of pornography. It is a dinosaur that I hope will go away the moment Heffner passes on.
It isn't even about that KQ, it's a "point & click" world. Porn won't go away without Hugh Hefner or Playboy. Like EVERYTHING else, it's online. Do you read an actual newpaper anymore? I don't, I go online, & that's how we are doing things now. This story really is not about Playboy as much as it is publishing in general.
I wasn't talking about porn. I was talking about Playboy. Pornography has been part of our world since the Ancient World. One can go to Pompeii to see phalluses all over the place, and even that sort of depictions (sexual organs, sexual positions) can be found in more ancient civilizations (India=Kama Sutra is a good example). Pornography of any kind will never be erradicated until the world ends.
I meant to say what I did say. Playboy has lost its purported "sophistication" and class that Hefner said he would keep by associating with crasser forms of pornography. The magazine and the concept is a dinosaur and I do hope it goes away once he dies. However, I know that pornography in of itself is not going anywhere as I mentioned earlier. Humans and humans in the end and they will find cheap thrills whenever they can get it cheaply. I could wish for pornography to be erradicated, however it won't happen until time ends.
Overall then the continuation of what I said, is as you say that Playboy and other publications will eventually fall away and be concentrated online. I wasn't really arguing that part. I do agree that is the shift. I think at this point in time it is a given. I was just stating that whatever class and sophistication Playboy wanted to do went away a long time ago and it is disingenious if he or anyone in his company claims they maintained it.
I get your point. I never really got how Playboy was given some respectablilty for it's interviews. That was part of why it had the "class" given to it you were refering to. It was sort of on par with Rolling Stone, which is also overrated in that regard. When Hefner croaks, the Playboy empire will soon follow.
I hope so. I used to like Rolling Stone when I was in high school, but then I realized how disgusting and liberal it was and I stop my subscription soon afterward.
Playboy is in the same boat as the newspapers for the same reason, the internet.
No wonder Playboy wrote that erroneous story about Santelli's rant and the Tea Party on February 20th., 2010. They tried to vilify Santelli and get their scummy blog views at any cost.