People Magazine Rejects Ad Featuring Bikini-Clad Woman

People magazine, hardly known for its prudery in celebrity matters, rejected as “inappropriate” an advertisement from NBC’s new cable-television channel that featured a bikini-clad woman.

Rejection of the $50,000 full-page ad came too late for the channel to submit a new ad in this week’s editions, and that has NBC’s Consumer News and Business Channel fuming.

“It’s kind of ironic for People magazine, which put Marla Maples on the cover, to reject a paid ad,” said James Boyle, a spokesman for CNBC.

Beth Kseniak, a spokeswoman for the magazine, said the decision came from Managing Editor Landon Y. Jones Jr. “People can reject or cancel any advertising for any reason at any time,” she added. As for the timing, she admitted, “yes, it was a mix-up on our part, and we apologize to them for that.”

That’s not good enough for CNBC, which wants return of its $50,000 and a free full-page ad. Meanwhile, CNBC said USA Today will run the ad in its April 23 Life section.

The irony? The CNBC ad was a parody, promoting an April 23 consumer affairs program on deceptive advertising. Next to the photograph of a scantily clad model, the headline read: “If you doubt the power of manipulative advertising, ask yourself why you’re reading this ad.”