Sex sells, but even in this economy that hasn't exactly been the case. No one knows this more than Playboy, who by May of 2012 will effectively be cutting its most significant ties to Chicago when its editorial operations to its LA office.
"Some of the magazine's Chicago employees have been asked to relocate, while others have been asked to stay on in Chicago to ensure a seamless transition," Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey said in a statement.
Even though common sense and the unprecedented popularity of free Internet porn to those enterprising enough to seek it out telegraphed this move long ago, Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner pretty much announced this would be happening back in October 2010, the LA Times points out.
"I think we're probably going to be doing that out of economic concerns, yes," Hefner said. "We will be probably consolidating on the West Coast."
So, yes. Hef is a man of his word. But between Pitchfork's editorial staff heading to Brooklyn and Playboy's pending move, Chicago isn't so much losing its identity, but it's changing dramatically. Into what, who knows. We'll always have pizza and gangsters, though, right?
David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as an interviewer-writer for Adult Swim, he's also a columnist for EGM. He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. When not playing video games for work he's thinking of dashing out to Chicago Diner, Pizano's, or Yummy Yummy. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.
