Highlights
Playboy Enterprises describes itself as an international multimedia entertainment company. It publishes editions of Playboy magazine around the world, operates television networks and licenses the Playboy trademark on a range of consumer products and services. Launched as a public company in the early 1970s, Playboy almost went out of business when British regulators ordered a halt to the casinos and betting parlors in the United Kingdom that accounted for three-fourths of its operating profits. At the same time, gambling regulators refused to license a Playboy casino under construction in Atlantic City, N.J. In 1981, Playboy earned $14 million on sales of $389 million. A year later, without...
Playboy Enterprises describes itself as an international multimedia entertainment company. It publishes editions of Playboy magazine around the world, operates television networks and licenses the Playboy trademark on a range of consumer products and services. Launched as a public company in the early 1970s, Playboy almost went out of business when British regulators ordered a halt to the casinos and betting parlors in the United Kingdom that accounted for three-fourths of its operating profits. At the same time, gambling regulators refused to license a Playboy casino under construction in Atlantic City, N.J. In 1981, Playboy earned $14 million on sales of $389 million. A year later, without gambling, it lost $52 million on just $210 million in revenues. Founder Hugh Hefner appointed his daughter, Christie, as Playboy president. And in the following years, she would persuade her father to dump many company holdings, including its network of Playboy clubs. In 1987, Playboy made a profit, with $30 million in cash on hand and virtually no debt. The next year, Christie Hefner took over as chairman and chief executive officer. Her father remained chairman emeritus and editor-in-chief of the magazine. In recent years, the company has pushed into hardcore porn on pay TV and the Internet, as well as licensing deals that include the 2006 re-launch of Playboy Clubs at the Palms Casino Hotel of Las Vegas.
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Playboy sales slump produces sad story
From Chicago Tribune news servicesShares of Playboy Enterprises Inc. fell about 10 percent, to less than the newsstand price of its flagship magazine, in Wednesday trading after the adult entertainment company said it swung to a second-quarter loss on a nearly across-the-board slump in...Tags: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, Sales, Fortune Brands Incorporated, Earnings, Earnings Forecasts
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Stumble over gay issue dogs Obama
Tribune staff reportersChicago lawyer Coco Soodek has given $2,300 to Sen. Barack Obama's presidential primary campaign, the most allowed under federal law. But in recent days, she has questioned her contribution, just as she has questioned the candidate's commitment to gays...Tags: Government, National Government, Elections, Demonstration, Democratic Party
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The week ahead
Chicago TribuneMonday: -- Earnings: Administaff Inc.; Brown & Brown Inc.; Cephalon Inc.; Charles River Laboratories International Inc.; General Growth Properties Inc.; Hub Group Inc.; Loews Corp.; Mercury General Corp.; Priceline.com Inc.; Yum Brands Inc. Tuesday: --...Tags: Applied Materials Incorporated, Loews Corporation, Baker Hughes Incorporated, Career Education Corporation, MetLife Incorporated
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Chicago event expected to raise at least $1.5 million for Obama
Tribune staff reporterSen. Barack Obama's campaign is planning what could be the largest fundraiser of his presidential bid so far, a big-dollar event in Chicago that is expected to raise at least $1.5 million in a single evening. Minimum suggested admission for the June 8...Tags: Hillary Clinton, Elections, Christie Hefner, John Kerry, Campaign Finance
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Adelphia's Explicit Porn
Times Staff WriterPorn is suddenly sexy to a cable TV company once considered the industry prude. Adelphia Communications Corp. has quietly become the nation's only leading cable operator to offer the most explicit category of hard-core porn. Come Friday, triple-X-rated...Tags: Larry Flynt, Van Nuys, Adults, Consumer Electronics Industry, Hugh Hefner
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Will Wrigley Building turn high-end condo?
Tribune staff reporterChicago business icon Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., whose renowned namesake building is an architectural gem, is studying its long-term real estate needs, including a move from its historic headquarters building, the Chicago Tribune has learned. If the company...Tags: Chicago River, Government, Donald Trump, National Government, Tour Operations Industry
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Hefner pushes his man for Playboy revival
Tribune national correspondentHugh Hefner may finally have found his man. By choosing Christopher Napolitano, a 16-year Playboy veteran, as his new editorial director, Hefner sent a clear message: It's still his magazine. At 78, "Hef" remains keenly involved in the day-to-day...Tags: Prosecution, Sales, Newspaper and Magazine, Magazines, Consumer Electronics Industry
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Playboy adds Web club, weighs online dating
Daily PressPlayboy Enterprises Inc. will begin a less expensive Web subscription service this month to attract more customers and is considering starting an online dating service. The Web service, called Playboy Daily, will cost $12 per year and will offer...Tags: InterActiveCorp, Christie Hefner, Online, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
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Living the Playboy life to become virtual reality
Tribune national correspondentThe Playboy Mansion at your fingertips. What could be finer? Eager to attract men in their late 20s, Playboy Enterprises Inc., Chicago-based parent of the world's best-selling men's magazine, plans to release an interactive video game, "Playboy: The...Tags: Sony Corp., Game Playing, Newspaper and Magazine, Microsoft Corp., Consumer Electronics Industry
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Playboy likes direction, picks boss from within
Tribune national correspondentPlayboy magazine tapped an insider Wednesday to continue the work of a former editor brought in to re-energize the nation's top-selling men's publication. Christopher Napolitano was named editorial director three months after Playboy replaced James...Tags: Marketing, Sales, News Media, Game Playing, Magazines
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Hooked on sushi
"There's nothing wrong with sushi if it's cooked right." -- Anonymous wag Americans are often a little squeamish about the idea of eating raw fish. Mention sushi to the uninitiated and the response is likely to be a look of extreme discomfort. (If you...Tags: Food and Dining Culture, Rogers Park, Wilmette, Restaurant and Catering Industry, Charlie Trotter
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May 10, 1999
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