ANOTHER GAY ADULT MAG CLOSES

Unzipped magazine has become another casualty in a long line of gay adult magazine to shut down in the midst of the recession and free online content.

The American magazine was in the spotlight last year for publishing a nude pictorial of Beau Breedlove, the illicit lover of Portland mayor Sam Adams.

The publicity stunt didn’t do much to keep the magazine afloat however. On Friday, Unzipped staff members were reportedly fired by Here/Regent Media head Paul Colichman who also ordered the magazine closed.

The company shut down Men and Freshmen magazines last year and with the proliferation of adult content on the internet, other porn print titles have faced a bleak future in recent years.

Playgirl magazine now only publishes occasional print issues, preferring to stay in the online realm, while Mavety Media, publisher of titles such as Honchos and Mandate, shut its doors in 2009.

Even mainstream US gay publications have been under pressure. The Advocate – an icon of the gay media – is now an insert in Out magazine and there are rumours of more impending closures in the industry.