Re. the "sale" of Out and The Advocate: PlanetOut.com sold the mags, along with some other properties, to Regent Releasing for $6 million cash, payable in $1 million increments over the next year. But according to Regent and PlanetOut: "The funds shall be treated as prepaid advertising, to be applied as the marketing occurs." So. Regent bought a year's worth of advertising on PlanetOut's gay.com and got an entire book and magazine publishing business for free, then? Jesus. That's colossal mismanagement of your brands! Or a fantastic sponsor giveaway.

PlanetOut Inc. used to have a monopoly on Serious Gay Media—they published Out and The Advocate. But they went into tremendous debt and sold their entire magazine and book publishing business to Regent Releasing (owner of Here!) for $6 million. Our favorite theory (because we know nothing of the workings of the gay media): "PlanetOut's financial problem are due to its expansion into the gay cruise business - where it has lost millions." Why on Earth can't that happen to The National Review? [Towleroad]