History of Penthouse Magazine

Penthouse Magazine was introduced in 1965. Bugjurisdiction of the Defense Department. Also, a 1998
Guccione, sensing that the sexuality of men would beSupreme Court ruling held that a military base is not a
a popular niche introduced what has become one ofpublic forum.
the worlds enduring icons.Videocassettes gained popularity and the steady rise
The sexually explicit content of the magazine pavedof the Internet are some reasons that caused the
barreled into the common households and stayed onsteady decline of Penthouse Magazine circulation and
top of its rival, Playboy Magazine in terms of salesother pornographic magazines like Playboy Magazine
and popularity. Four years later, Guccione expandedand Hustler Magazine. The Internet provided a
the operations of Penthouse Magazine as thecheaper and multiple avenues of satisfaction for
publication began being published in the United States.customers who sought privacy. After struggleing for
Guccione together with Kathy Keeton and someyears, in April 2002, Guccione announced that
family members managed the privately ownedPenthouse Magazine was going out of business.
company over the years. With the rise of the tome,Bankruptcy
Bob Guccione also rose to fame and was known forOn July 2003, Bob Guccione lost his famous
his lavish lifestyle and spending including the infamousPenthouse Mansion. The mansion was composed of
Mansion in Manhattan, gold chains, dream of building atwo townhouses built in 1879. Rebuilt in 1920s by
portable nuclear device and casino without a gamblingJeremiah Milbank, it was one of the largest private
license.residences in Manhattan. At the height of prestige,
In the adult business Penthouse Magazine was theGuccione bought the mansion in 1975.
victim of attacks and condemnation from severalIOn August 2003, General Media, the Penthouse
groups. The National Federation for Decency, aMagazine subsidiary filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy
Christian conservative group now known as Americanprotection. It was thought that this move would help
Family Association, threatened to boycott stores thatsalvage the magazine.
carry adult materials. In 1986, Attorney General EdwinRecent Times
Meese and an 11 member Commission onIn October 2003, an announcement of the sale of
Pornography also sought to publish a blacklist ofPenthouse Magazine circulated. The company was
pornography distributors. About 20,000 retailers andrestructured and in 2004 General Media was renamed
convenience stores withdrew support to thethe Penthouse Media Group by owners Marc Bell and
magazine after the campaign; this of course caused aDaniel Staton. Penthouse Magazine was repackaged.
decrease in sales.Starting with the January 2005 issue, Penthouse
In 1992, an issue between the magazine and UnitedMagazine no longer showed pictures of an explicit
States Navy surfaced. The United States Navynature, being touted as an alternative to FHM
reacted negatively on the issues of circulation andMagazine. Penthouse Magazine nixed explicitly nude
distribution around the military base. Distribution andphotos of male and female genitalia. The change
sale of adult titles is said to be inconsistent with theimproved the declining sales. However, sales still did
rules and regulations concerning sexual harassmentnot reach the same circulation numbers of Penthouse
and human dignity.Magazine at the peak of the magazine
The Military Honor and Decency Act signed byIn 2005, Penthouse Media Group had a total
President Clinton in 1996 stated that the Secretary ofcirculation of 326,358 copies. Penthouse Magazine
Defense may not permit the sale or rental ofcontinues to increase sales as it works to become a
sexually explicit material on property under thecompetitor of the adult entertainment genre.