"there is no future for adult business in mass market magazines..."

[Brian Wallace]

  - Bob Guccione, from following article.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/940928.asp?0cv=KA01#BODY

  I KNEW something was going on.  On the PM1 group,
I posted something about not having seen the magazine
for quite a while.
  It's a little bit significant that Playboy's long
time main rival (if not current main rival) is going
under.
  Even that is open to debate.  Most of us would 
agree that when Playboy was introduced it was one
of THE original American publications (ANY type
of publication).  Penthouse certainly challenged
Playboy's dominance in the 1970's and some might
say caused Playboy to change in ways that brought
it to where it is today.  Anybody have any thoughts
on that.  I'd be interested to hear...

1. How anyone thinks Penthouse changed Playboy. Also,
does anyone think the lad magazines are more of a threat
than Penthouse ever was or less of a threat?
   
   It's a good article just to remind everyone how
BRUTAL it is in terms of the economy and the explosion
of adult internet content.
   To use a bad analogy, in terms of adult men's maga-
zines, 90% of what's out there is "the left".
Explicit.  Clinical.  Sex pictures with no sense of
eroticism.
   Playboy would be "the right".  Started out WAY to
the right.  (Well, when it started out it was the
right AND the left).  Has moved further left (more
explicit)but will hopefully always be "right"
(tasteful).  Sensuous.  Highest standards of
photography.  "Classy" eroticism.  Literate, even.
   The Penthouse of the last, say, fifteen years has
bridged the gap between the Swanks, High Society's and
Hustlers of the world and Playboy.  Penthouse
felt the need to go markedly further left (or more
explicit) in the past six or seven years probably for
mostly financial survival reasons.
   (I guess a lamer political analogy could be made
that Playboy is now "moderate".  With Hustler, et al
to the left and Maxim, FHM, et al to the right, but
I digress...)
   My other curious question is...

   2. IF this proves to be true (even if it doesn't),
will this have any effect at all on Playboy?  If
Penthouse ceases publication, will Playboy grab any
of the regular Penthouse reader?  Does a regular
Penthouse reader even exist any more?

   I welcome your thoughts.

   I know this is PLAYBOY discussion list and I don't
want to change focus at all away from Playboy or
Peggy's project.  I just thought it raised some 
interesting points.

   Not the least of which is now that it's probably
all over...


   Were all those Forum letters real?



   Just kidding,

   Brian Wallace