Recent Chicago Tribune article on the new PLAYBOY

[Steve Sloca]

Jason McKean's "review" of the new-look Playboy for the Tribune is
very enlightening on several fronts.  First, I suspect we do not have
too many contributing "20-somethings" in this group, much less one as
media-savvy as Mr. McKean, so his comments give us a real insight into
that generation's impressions of Playboy.  We have often speculated on
whether Playboy had become "geriatric" to today's young professionals.
Now we know.  Mr. McKean's derogatory references to Playboy's tone and
many of the magazine's features ("geezer yuks," "departments of
yesteryear," "Old Man Poser") and his repeated assertions that the
magazine's appeal is only to "heyday hangers on" are, I suspect,
typical of the views of the 20-something urban professional men and
are a big reason for Playboy's losing circulation and influence today.

On the other hand, he gives us hope that the "dumb and dumber"
approach of Maxim is not all that appealing either to the young urban
professional man.  He excoriates the Kaminsky-led attempt to
"Maximize" Playboy ("Who's writing this stuff?  My dad?") and advises
today's yuppies to read Esquire, Details or GQ instead.  Thus, there
is a market--the same one Playboy tapped a generation ago--for an
urbane-but-hip, classy, intelligent men's magazine which features
nudity.  Since that is the audience most of us want to see Playboy go
after, his suggestions are most timely; and I, for one, agree with his
main conclusion: that Playboy needs a complete overhaul and a younger
editorial staff, starting with the retirement of Hef IMHO, before it
can regain the popularity and relevance it once had.

I only wish that Mr. McKean had been a little more specific in his
analyses.  For example, he seems to pan the Playmate photos ("Playboy
continues to shoot its models as though it's 1980 and everyone's
auditioning for an all-nude episode of 'Dallas'"), without telling us
what kind of photos he would like to see instead.  As an Art Director
for the Tribune, Mr. McKean should have a good idea as to what kind(s)
of art and photography would be appealing to today's yuppies, so it
would be very interesting if he would expand on his statements.
Perhaps Peggy could track down his e-mail address at the Tribune and
invite him to join this Forum.