Chairman: Playboy would listen to sale offer

Playboy Enterprises Inc., the men's magazine publisher, would listen to sale offers or new strategies now that the company is no longer run by founder Hugh Hefner's daughter, the interim chairman said.

When asked today on a conference call whether Playboy was more open to a sale or strategy change since Christie Hefner stepped down as chief executive officer, Chairman Jerome Kern said the company is "willing to listen."

Kern was named non-executive chairman after Hefner announced her resignation in December, ending two decades running the magazine her father started in 1953. The Chicago-based company has retained a search firm to find a new CEO.

Playboy rose 5 cents to $1.55 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have plunged 28 percent this year.