Sex sells, but does 'Playboy' have the bare essentials?

Saturday, January 21, 2006
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The prepublication hype and ensuing furor about the debut of a local version of Playboy overshadowed the big question: Is there really a market for another men's magazine here?

Despite laws against pornography and House discussions scheduled next week, magazines featuring scantily clad models in suggestive poses are readily available at local newsstands.

And those with more hard-core tastes can make some knowing inquiries among the magazine and book vendors in Senen, Central Jakarta.

The advent of the free speech era since the end of the Soeharto regime in 1998 opened the way for girlie magazines, offering everything from girl-next-door cheesecake to no-excuses smut.

Aside from local publications like Matra and Popular, which have been around for years, local franchises of FHM, and most recently, U.S.-based Maxim, are also vying for a share of readership.

Now, the biggest brand of all, Playboy, is coming to town.

Ponti Carolus, director of PT Velvet Silver Media which holds the license from the U.S.-based magazine, says there is great potential here, even if the local version will be toned down and without the famous nude pictorials.

"We had a lot of considerations before deciding to publish this magazine," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The upscale girlie magazines are not cheap; both FHM and Matra sell for Rp 28,500 (about US$3) an issue.

FHM managing editor Richard Sam Bera said his publication enjoyed good sales since making its debut in 2003, with monthly circulation from 60,000 to 75,000 copies nationwide.

"Interestingly, 25 percent of our readers are women, which is in line with our aim to get women and men closer," said the national swimming champion.

A woman said she enjoyed reading FHM because the advice on sexual topics was franker than in women's magazines.

Media analyst Veven S.P. Wardhana doubt, however, the demand for the magazines is particularly high, despite the adage that sex -- in all its forms -- sells.

"That's the nature of this country. If something sells, another will quickly follow. I did a little survey at several newsstands, and the vendors said that such magazines and tabloids don't sell that well. You can check the advertisements in the publications, there are only few of them."

Popular's managing editor Buyung Pramunsyie said the magazine, established in 1988, took years to gain a solid business footing. Today, the 158-page publication has a monthly readership of about 60,000.

"Indonesians simply don't read. And today there is a lot of competition, not just from publications, but also the Internet as well as cheap pirated porn."
It was not enough to offer racy pinups, he said.

"Our main selling points are the swimsuit pinups and sex tips, but we have other things that people love. Surveys show that people do read our film and music reviews, as well as our automotive page."

For magazine reader Yasha Chatab, the models in girlie magazines look too "cheap".
"The models in local upscale fashion or women's magazines are several notches higher. The models in women's magazine always look better and more desirable," he said.

Labels: culture, media

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