CHICAGO—As expected, Playboy magazine missed its rate base for the second half of 2009, Folio has reported. In October, the legendary men’s magazine announced that it would slash its rate base from 2.6 million to 1.5 million, starting in January 2010.
“Of the 30 or so large circulation magazines with rate bases of 2 million or higher—including AARP, Time and Better Home & Gardens—Reader’s Digest and Playboy were the only titles to fall short of their circ. guarantee,” said Folio. “Playboy reported an overall circ. of 2,021,751, more than 570,000 off its 2.6 million rate base."
The magazine also fell short during the first half of 2009, according to Folio, with a total paid and verified circulation of 2,453,266.
In October, a Playboy rep told AdWeek that the magazine, in addition to the slashed rate base, “would also combine its January and February issues after doing the same with its July and August issues this past summer. No decision has been made about repeating the July/August double issue this year.”
AdWeek also reported that Playboy has now lost its standing as the biggest men’s lifestyle magazine by circulation. Now, the most-circulated is Alpha Media’s Maxim, with a rate base of 2.5 million, followed by Rodale’s Health at 1.8 million.
“Generally,” said the Folio article, “when a magazine doesn’t make its rate base, its publisher is required to issue refunds to its advertisers or make other concessions.”
