CarnalNation

Everybody knows that sex sells, but it seems that the recession has tempered America's insatiable desire for erotic and porn mags. On top of the hard economic times, the Internet has seduced us away from the traditional print format of the magazine, essentially transforming dead trees into dead wood.

Mavety Media Group has announced that it will discontinue publishing its entire roster of gay porn magazines. The titles you'll no longer see on the top rack of your favorite news stand include Playguy, Honcho, Torso, Inches (all of its ethnic varieties), and the venerable Mandate. First published in 1975, Mandate was conceived as the gay man's equivalent to Playboy, featuring commentary on social, political and cultural events related to the movement for gay liberation in addition to erotica and photographs of nude men. At one time, Mandate had a circulation of over 100,000 subscribers. It was a publication that helped a generation of isolated gay men realize that there were others - many others - just like them out there in the world. R.I.P. and thank you.

The hard times are not limited to gay erotica. After decades of declining readership and advertising revenue, Playboy has announced that it will revise its publication schedule, combining the July and August issues. The company is also considering reducing its circulation and other cuts in order to keep the revolutionary print magazine viable. In a press release, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jerome Kern said, "The publishing business remains a key focus of our attention, as the print industry continues to face significant challenges on both the circulation and advertising fronts. Despite a first quarter that was weaker than last year, reflecting the negative impact of a change in how we record direct response advertising costs, we believe the magazine's bottom line will improve in 2009 versus last year. This performance is still not acceptable, however, and we expect to continue making changes that will lead to further improvements in the magazine's financial results." Among the changes will be a "younger and fresher look" for both online and print components of Playboy. But what about the articles?