If you can’t beat ‘em, glom their publisher. That’s what a reviving Penthouse Magazine is doing as it once again challenges Playboy for title of America's leading girlie magazine. 

Penthouse Media Group has lured away Diane Silberstein, publisher of Playboy, to join Penthouse as its publisher.

Penthouse executives weren’t available this morning to discuss Silberstein's hire. But the aim is pretty evident: to give Penthouse, now cleaned up under new owners, a bit more cachet as it struggles to shed it sordid image from the years of ownership by Bob Guccione.

Penthouse's bold move is reminiscent of Guccione's initial assault against Playboy in the early 70s, when it successfully challenged what was then easily the largest circulation men's title by offering readers bolder levels of undress and raw sexuality. 

Silberstein, a respected magazine industry figure, spent nearly two years at Playboy, founded 50 years ago by Hugh Hefner. Previously she was publisher of Ziff Davis Media’s Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine. She also was publisher of The New Yorker and Elle.

While Silberstein's departure must surely come as a surprise, Playboy is wishing her well. A company spokesperson tells Media Life that the magazine will hire a search firm to find a replacement. The magazine wants a new publisher as soon as possible but no timeframe has been set.

Boca Raton, Fla., entrepreneur Marc Bell bought the struggling Penthouse from legendary founder Guccione in 2004, and since then he has sought to goose up the magazine’s circulation and advertising revenue by making it more mainstream. Bringing in Silberstein certainly lends credence to that mission.

Penthouse photos of nude women now more resemble the photos of Playboy than the more explicit photos championed by Guccione. And the new Penthouse has fewer articles about sex and more about computer gaming, cars, sports, men’s health and technology.

Yet Penthouse has a ways go in its quest to catch up with Playboy. Playboy’s circulation is almost 10 times that of its competitor.

Playboy’s paid circulation averaged 3.11 million in the first half of last year, the most recent numbers available from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, down 1.9 percent from a year earlier. Penthouse’s circulation averaged 355,698 in the first half of last year, down 11.1 percent from 400,229 a year earlier. Penthouse circulation topped 5 million at its peak.

According to the Publishers Information Bureau, Playboy’s ad pages fell 16.4 percent last year through November, to 513 from 613 in 2004. Penthouse’s ad pages are not tracked by the PIB.

Both magazines have suffered from the rise of pornography on the internet and cable TV and the growth in recent years of laddie magazines such as Maxim. Bell is seeking to cut down Penthouse’s sleaze factor to appeal to consumer brand advertisers.

He is targeting men 18-34 for the magazine, an older demographic than Maxim but younger than Playboy.  In an interview last year, Bell told Media Life, “Years ago, people used to buy the thing to read it. We want that again. We want a beautiful magazine. Advertisers will feel more comfortable with this magazine.”