Posted 5/12/2009 07:19:00 PM by Douglas

Print media is going the way of the telegraph, so it's no surprise that Playboy and its so-called "articles" is beginning to suffer, too.

Reeling from declines in readership and advertising, Playboy magazine is contemplating "radical changes" that may include cutting its circulation and reducing the frequency with which it is published, Jerome Kern, interim chairman and chief executive of Playboy Enterprises Inc. told analysts Monday.

I think I'm on the edge of my seat on this one. Like most things that are being shown to be obsolete in the 21st century (GM, newspapers, capitalism) I don't think Playboy is much different. It was such a groundbreaking yardstick of social consciousness for so long. But now the median it splits is torn between hard-core stroke magazines and soft fluff with oiled, binki clad doxies, neither of which anyone is buying anymore. But what does that say about America? An America without a Miss July and a new Chevy convertible is an America where Stalin won:

Next up is a make-over of its flagship publication. Playboy plans to combine its July and August issues into a single edition to reduce printing and distribution costs, and it is looking at trimming its circulation and reducing its advertising rates, officials said.

Well, whatever. Playboy playmates have been interchangeable a long time before they collectively decided to shed their pubic hair. I suppose the world will get along without a monthly Playmate, but even as generic, plastic and blonde as she was for the last 25 years, wouldn't you rather sit next to her on your flight to Denver than say, oh, I don't now, anyone? There may be a million annoying people on a million flights, but there is, and will always be, only one Miss (pick a month). And she's probably hotter than anyone you've ever made out with.

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