Court Confirms NewPage Chapter 11 Plan

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Confirms NewPage Chapter 11 Plan:
NewPage Corporation (NewPage) announced today that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in Wilmington has confirmed the Company's Chapter 11 Plan (the "Plan"). The Plan was accepted by the overwhelming majority of NewPage creditors entitled to vote. The Company will now proceed to close on the restructuring transactions contemplated by the Plan.
"We are pleased that the Court has confirmed our Chapter 11 Plan, clearing the way for us to officially exit bankruptcy, hopefully by the end of this year," said George Martin, president and chief executive officer for NewPage. "We will exit bankruptcy with substantially less debt and new financing at lower interest rates. NewPage will be well positioned to serve the needs of our customers and compete successfully in the North American paper industry." 

Norske to Convert PM to LWC, Tasmania

Metso to supply grade conversion rebuild from newsprint to LWC grades for Norske Skog's PM 2 at Boyer mill in Tasmania: Metso will supply Norske Skog with a grade conversion rebuild from newsprint to lightweight coated (LWC) grades of their PM 2 machine at their Boyer mill in Tasmania, Australia. The rebuilt production line will be fully operational after several phases of rebuild during the first quarter of 2014. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

Resolute Increases Pulp Price

Resolute Forest Products told North American customers that its softwood and hardwood kraft market pulp prices will increase $30/tonne, effective January 1. Resolute is the second major pulp producer to slate a softwood increase in the USA.

Lecta Second to Raise Coated Woodfree Price

Lecta, the second largest European coated woodfree paper-manufacturing group, made up of Condat, Cartiere del Garda and Torraspapel, wishes to inform its customers that the company will implement a price increase of 5 to 6% on its CWF paper deliveries effective 14 January 2013.

Three Mills Raise NBSK Price

Stora Enso today began informing its clients that it will increase its northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp prices to $840/tonne in the European market, effective Jan. 1. 

Metsä Fibre will announce a new price of Botnia Nordic Pine (Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft) in Europe, effective January 1, 2013 until further notice.

The new price is 840 USD, CIF Metsä Fibre's usual European ports.

Mercer International is in the process of advising customers that it will raise its price for northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp to $840/tonne from January 1.

Neenah Buys Southworth Specialty Brand

http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2012/12/southworth_sells_business_paper_brand_an.html

Southworth Co. has sold its venerable brand of business paper to Neenah Paper of Wisconsin in a move that will see the company close its 120,000-square-foot converting facility in Agawam and lay off 66 people sometime in 2013.
The company will maintain several other of its product lines, and will continue to operate its paper mill in Turners Falls.
"We are going to keep the paper machine going in Turners Falls," said David C. Southworth, company president and the fifth generation of his family to run the private company.

China Planning 2013 Closures

The Chinese government is seeking data from the country's provincial authorities on the closure of old capacity planned for 2013.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued a circular last week asking each province to submit its shutdown goals by January 28.

According to the circular, each province is required to provide the capacity of every PM and pulp line for the 2013 campaign.  On the paper and board side, the following are mandated for closure: newsprint machines with a capacity under 50,000 tonnes/yr; printing and writing PMs less than 1.76 m wide and with a speed below 120 m/min; and cartonboard and recycled containerboard units less than 2 m wide and slower than 80 m/min. -->

HarperCollins Challenges RAN

HarperCollins challenged Rainforest Action Network (RAN) methodology and an advisory that claimed that some of HarperCollins' children's books contain paper harvested from "vulnerable" Indonesian rainforests.

RAN said that a November test of seven HarperCollins' titles found three with "significant" quantities of acacia fiber that is mainly sourced from Indonesian rainforest and trace amount in "several" others.

$120M Wood Pellet Project for Bastrop, LA

$120M wood pellet project planned in Bastrop, LA, where International Paper shut mill in 2008:
Today, Governor Bobby Jindal and Drax Biomass International Inc. CEO Chuck Davis announced a more than $120 million investment by the company in Louisiana, where Drax Biomass plans to build a wood pellet facility in Bastrop and a storage-and-shipping facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge.

Saturday Evening Post Moves Back to Philadelphia

http://www.pubexec.com/article/the-saturday-evening-post-return-philly-announces-fiction-contest-winners/1

In a surprise move, The Saturday Evening Post, the iconic magazine which traces its roots to Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette, has announced its return to Philadelphia after 42 years in Indianapolis.
The magazine's Philadelphia office will be the base of operations for editorial director and associate publisher Steve Slon, a managing editor, a reporter and Web editors. Business operations will remain in Indianapolis.

NYT Launches Publishing Programs

http://www.pubexec.com/article/the-new-york-times-launches-e-book-programs/1

The New York Times today announced the launch of two publishing programs -- New York Times short e-books co-published with the digital startup Byliner, and TimesFiles with Vook.

A Look at Newspapers Turning a Profit; or Not

http://adage.com/article/media/a-newspapers-turning-a-profit/238784/

Despite all the talk about newspapers being a dying business, plenty of them are profitable. That includes the FT, according to Ian Whittaker, a media analyst at Liberum Capital in London.

Some papers, however, have even more to offer. We took a look at some.

Q3 Advertising Up 7.1%

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20121217/ADVERTISING13/312179998/u-s-ad-spending-increases-7-1-in-q3

Third-quarter advertising expenditures totaled $34.5 billion, up 7.1% from the year-earlier period, according to marketing information company Kantar Media. Spending for the first nine months of the year grew 3.8% year-over-year, to $101.3 billion.

RRD Moves to MidCap 400 Index

Garmin to replace R.R. Donnelly in S & P 500:
Garmin Ltd., a maker of navigation devices, will join the benchmark S&P 500 index after the close of trading on Dec. 11.
Garmin is replacing R.R. Donnelley, which is moving to the MidCap 400 index.
Standard & Poor's said Wednesday that R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. is replacing Medicis Pharmaceutical, which is being acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.
R.R. Donnelley, which provides integrated communications services, has a market cap of about $1.68 billion. Garmin's market cap is about $7.78 billion.

Zinio Undergoes Executive Shuffle

Zinio Undergoes Executive Shuffle, New Strategic Focus:
Zinio, a digital magazine newsstand and reading platform, has shaken up its leadership team by naming a new CEO and president and forming a board of directors. The appointments come on the heels of a review done by investment bank Montgomery & Co. earlier this year and signal a strategic shift from a product-centric operation to a more customer-focused business plan.As a result of the changes, co-founder and CEO Rich Maggiotto has been named chief innovation officer. Meanwhile, Rusty Lewis will become CEO and Michelle Bottomley has been named president.

Survey Respondents Support "Do Not Mail"

Survey Finds Majority of Americans Support "Do Not Mail": A survey 81% of Americans support a Do Not Mail initiative. The authors suggest their findings serve as a wake-up call to markets and the USPS to find ways to address consumers concerns while preserving the fundamental service provided by the USPS.