Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) warned investors that it will take a write-down of goodwill and other charges amounting to more than $100 million, resulting in a net loss for Q4. The magazine publisher also expects a $4 million charge on cost-reduction initiatives, which will include an unspecified number of job cuts. The company is also in the process of combining its online and print functions. The combined unit will be based at Playboy’s Chicago headquarters, though a small ad sales staff will remain in New York. Playboy will report its Q4 earnings on Feb. 18.
As part of the print/digital integration, the company also announced it was promoting Jimmy Jellinek to the new position of editorial director of Playboy magazine and Playboy.com. Jellinek, a former Maxim editor and a programming exec for video site Heavy.com, joined Playboy last August as SVP for digital content, digital media.
The company, which is in the midst of a search to replace CEO Christie Hefner, unveiled the long-awaited relaunch of Playboy.com on Tuesday. The site’s web traffic has been flat the last few years. The new site is designed to turn that around and sports a wide array of better-late-than-never social net features. Aiming for local ad dollars, it will also have a city guide, which will be based on a content-sharing deal with Blackbook. Release.
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