Playboy to try its luck again in SA

After a 13-year absence, Playboy magazine is returning to scintillate South African men and some women.

The world's most famous soft portn magazine will be launched in April after Playboy Enterprises in Los Angeles signed with publishers Sciofon.

The South African edition will be the 28th magazine in Hugh Heffner's 57-year-old empire.

In 1996, three years after its first edition, Playboy SA - published by Times Media Limited (now Avusa) - was forced to close its doors after pressure from anti-pornography campaigners battered its circulation. The magazine's then-editor and creative director, Paul Kerton, put its premature closure down to the "anti-porn backlash".

In an interview, Kerton said: "Playboy was profitable in its first 14 months of publishing.

"Circulation grew to a regular 96000 a month, although the Anneline Kriel cover in December 1994 sold 120000 copies in 10 days."

Jeremy Gordin, who briefly edited Playboy, also said he believed the closure was the result of campaigns by anti-pornography lobbyists and the reaction from the public to the campaigns.

Gordin said the campaigners influenced distributors who refused to handle it, which meant that most corner cafes did not stock the magazine.

So how will Playboy break through the barriers that shut it down before?

Johann Botha, head of Sciofon said the magazine would have a local editorial focus with "a strong emphasis on informative, cutting-edge articles".

Readers could expect "no holds barred uncensored interviews" with celebrities, businessmen and prominent public figures.

The magazine would carry reviews as well as "the highest-quality photo shoots of local and international models".

Botha said he was "thrilled" to be bringing Playboy to South Africa. He said its target market would be men aged between 25 and 49, who were "affluent and well-educated consumers".

The first cover girl, believed to be local, was "still top secret".