The Zurnals Santa publishing house in Latvia will start publishing Playboy magazine in Lithuania in the fall, while Latvia will start seeing issues on newsstands next year.
Zurnals Santa board chairman Ivars Zarins didn't disclose how much his company paid for the right to publish the venerable men's magazine in his homeland, but he did offer some details about what the new publications would look like.
"There will be interviews with local people, and local topicalities described," he said, adding that every issue of the magazine will be adapted to local tastes and sensibilities.
The two new editions of Playboy will be operated according to a franchise agreement. Zarins has yet to name any editors for the magazines.
In addition to the two new editions of Playboy, Zarins said his company plans to add another magazine title in Latvia this year, though he didn't say whether it was an adult title or not. He has no plans to expand publishing into Estonia.
In related news, the Boston Globe reported that Hugh Hefner would welcome pop star Miley Cyrus into the pages of his magazine — after she turns 18, of course.
Hefner also said that Cyrus was unjustly criticized after her controversial photo shoot for Vanity Fair.
"I think to make such a big to-do over something as innocent as those photos,” he said. “I think is a reflection on how schizophrenic America is about sexuality."
