off topic, slightly re: Playboy

Are they even making money on the magazine? I know they have a tv channel and that is probably profitable. I don't know much about what they are spending money on. Hef may have to cut back on some parties or start charging admission and let us ordinary guys pay a small fee and visit with the playboy bunnies. Who will be Heff's successor? I believe the extravagant lifestyle that seems to symbolize Playboy will be out of favor until public sentiment improves and the stock market improves.

I myself don't see Playboy lasting much beyond Hefner's death. I don't know if anyone wants to be the next Hugh Hefner. Of course, they could radically alter things.

1) The video and TV divisions of Playboy are making money, it's the magazine itself which is a quickly sinking ship. The magaine needs a drastic overhaul, cover to cover. The writing is either elitest and pandering to a tiny audience, or the writing is downright awful. The writing staff is far left wing and out of touch with mainstream America. The models are identical, blonde with surgically altered hooters-Hef's type. The models are also airbrushed to the point where they're no longer recognizable as humans. The magazine itself appeals only to couples with an income well over six figures. It hasn't been a men's magazine in years.

2) It would be a stroke of brilliance if Hooters bought the magazine. Hooters girls, nowadays, are actually more desireable, more approachable, than Playmates. The restaurant chain would have a virtually inexhaustable supply of models. Bunnymag was at it's best (1970's) when it had clubs. Hooters could take the extra step of having "premium restaurants" where the waitresses wore very very little. The marriage of magazine and restaurant chain would be a perfect match.

I can't remember the last time I read a Playboy. If I'm visiting a male friend in the hospital, I'll typically pick up an issue for him to pass the time. This is less than 1 a year.

Anyone here have a subscription?

10 yrs ago i ordered a playmate video. When delivered, I found it was not as advertised and complained. Pboy gave me a free subscription to the mag, which I have been receiving at no cost ever since. I would not pay the nominal $10 subscription fee now if I had to. Pick up a copy and see how litte advertising it contains for non-Playboy related items. Dudester is right, the playmates really don't reflect the spectrum of American beauty. Very rarely any Asian, there's an African American once every 15 - 18 months or so.

Over the past few years, I've ponied up the ten bucks, like I just renewed for ten bucks-but that comes with two DVD's. I did it only for the reason I know that my subscription will cost them money. I want the magazine to either die, or fall into the arms of someone who knows what they are doing. Hef lost touch with America thirty years ago.

I am complaining because I can do better. First thing I would do is fire the writing staff, then hire writers in touch with America and reality. The magazine, in it's present form, would go away. The 20 questions, along with the big giant interview would go away. The fiction story (who reads that shit?) would go away. I'd talk to the NRA and have a gun of the month feature. There would also be a classic car of the month feature-with a proud owner telling us what he did to fix up his 69 stang. There would be a better movie section. Once a month, there would be a porn star in the mag (no blondes with surgically altered hooters). Girls would be selected from across the American spectrum, and found in new places. Besides the cloning effect of Playmates going on now, the other problem is that they all come from upper middle class homes. The new playmates would be found in convenience stores, Walmart, restaurants, and in hair salons. They will be white, black, asian, hispanic, and if found-native American. Finally, the only time "Celeb" will be used on the cover is when a well known B actress, or A lister actually decides to bare all-no more reality stars-they ain't celebs.

Playboy's heyday was the 70's & 80's. since then the quality in all categories has declined greatly. where are the playmates like Petra Verkaik who make the centerfold HOT? now it;s just one bleached blonde with fake tits and no pussy hair after another. they think cutting edge is to occasionally feature a black or asian playmate. the "celebrity" photo shoots are a joke. used to be that an actual celebrity would use playboy to kick start or restart a career. now it's unknowns wanting their 15 minutes of fame

They used to pay well for legit. fiction or reportage. I don't know what their rates are now. I'd say they should just "spin off" the magazine into an oddity -- a little subscription-handler type thing, a premium for the people who subscribe to certain more profitable of their offerings -- TV or internet porn, trips to the mansion to meet the bunnies, etc. It could be like the local PBS station's channel guide, with the articles and pictures but not dependent on advert. revenue.

About four years ago I received a two year gift subscription for Christmas. I agree with everything that has been said so far. The playmates all looked alike there were no real celebrities but most of all I found the whole magazine to lack anything of interest and was completely boring. With each issue I would page through it looking for something that would catch my interest and could never find anything. Only some of the cartoons were mildly funny. I was glad when my subscription finally expired and it no longer added weight to my trash.

I don't think the basic format of the magazine has ever changed. It may have been cutting edge back in the 50's and 60's but we have cable, satellite TV, and the internet now and it is behind the times and in desperate need of an update.

I remember I had the subscription for a while and was so excited about it that I noticed I had issues from months ago that I never even took out of the plastic they came in. Someone once gave me a free subscription to something I think it was called Stuff. I found some articles in that to be somewhat entertaining. I let the subscription run out since that had some pretty girls but they weren't topless and I didn't want to waste the 5 or 10 dollars for a yearly subscription.

I actually like the looks of most of the playmates.

I get subscription to PB through PCH- still waiting for Jolly Ed to come knocking on my door with big check.
I agree with some prior assertions- I ignore 49 out of 50 of fiction work. Many of interview subjects, don't know 'em, don't really give a crap what they have to say. (Some interviews I enjoy reading, though). As for PM socioeconomic background- 2 different PMOY's: 1 worked at a grocery store counter, another behind a deli counter. A few POM's have been Hooters Girls. As for assertion that PB is an endless parade of blondes: A glance at the Jan '09 issue of the 12- 2008 POM's- There were 5 blondes. Of the remaining non-blondes were 1 Asian, and 1 Tanzanian. Seems like a fairly typical medium/large stripclub dancer demographic to me. I guess to satisfy some tastes, featured POM's should be from 12 different ethnicities/nationalities, much like car magazine avoiding featuring particlar manufacturer more than once in 1 year.

If you want to see a hot YOUNG celebrity naked for a change-just pick up this months issue. Singer Aubrey O Day is a major piece of poon.
I get Playboy for like a dollar an issue and it hasn't changed in maybe 30 years-same old stuff just different pussy.

Girls Gone Wild is the Playboy of the 21st century.

Part of PB's problem is they try to be classy in what is becoming more and more a classless society. Blue jeans, t-shirts, chugging beer - the bow tie guys are dorks.

Who the hell is Aubrey O'Day?? Sounds like another reality show nobody to me.

Playboy has been over & done with for a looong time now...they just don't realize it. It was probably one of my first expsoures to "porn" when I was a kid, and I had my first subscription when I was a teenager. Then I got another subscription when I was older for some ridiculously low price. Who has the time to be reading all the crap that they put in that magazine anyways?? There are much better mags that show waaay more hot, young women than Playboy.

Hefner has also been a sad joke for sometime now. He hardly ever leaves his house, and his "girlfriends" were all fucking other guys and/or closet lesbians...too bad...

Skin-mags are a thing of the past. The internet dealt them there death blow. To many FHM type magazine with more substance and plenty of good looking women, even if they aren't naked.

And yes, Hef doesn't know what he's doing anymore when it comes to the magazine.

The dude is like 80 years old and lives in a bubble surrounded by suck ups. What chance does he have?