Playboy magazine is facing some hard times. According to the company CEO the magazine will have to take “bold steps” to make ends meet. It appears the magazine has been facing profit losses for a while now. As I read this I thought: “How times have changed.” Playboy magazine debuted in 1953 with a Marilyn Monroe photo spread, which irreversibly altered the lives of both Monroe and magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Upon reading about Playboy’s misfortunes, I couldn’t help but wonder: “What the hell could be bolder than Playboy magazine?” Nakedness is ALWAYS controversial.
It appears Playboy enterprises was referring to something completely different when they spoke of taking “bold steps.” Mediaweek reports that the company will cut its guaranteed circulation by 38% beginning January 2010 and that it will combine its January and February issues. The company hopes these moves will help it save money… but, it’s not all about saving money; it’s about MAKING money. How does Playboy plan to do that? You might ask. Well, the CEO says the company is looking into print-digital combo sales, social networking, and mobile partnerships to get things started. Do you think this’ll work? I don’t. My reasoning is as follows: Playboy magazine was a tremendous success for such a long time because it gave people (men in particular) the opportunity to see racy images of beautiful women that they could not find anywhere else. The internet has changed this. Now, racy images of both women and men are only a click away. The internet can provide an endless supply of not only soft-core but hard-corn pornography for FREE; something which Playboy magazine will never be able to do. Playboy magazine can provide readers with pictures for a fee; the internet can provide users with not only pictures, but video of people performing sexual acts for free. There is no point of comparison. Then again, the magazine has survived this long, so who knows?
