Condé Nast/AdMeld Partners in Private Ad Exchange

In a major magazine publisher first, Condé Nast launched a private advertising exchange for select digital clientele. Partnering with service provider AdMeld, inventory from Condé’s entire digital portfolio was available at the time of the exchange’s launch.

Magazines, Year in Review

Face Up: 2011 Year in Review: 2011 was a year of redesigns and relaunches, as magazine covers aimed to provoke (and as a result, to sell). Some efforts amounted in positive buzz and hiked newsstand numbers; others inspired seemingly unending rounds of media heckling (Newsweek’s July 4th cover, which featured a very Photoshopped image of the late Princess Diana, here’s lookin’ at you).

Wausau Closing Brokaw Mill

Wausau Paper announced today that its Board of Directors has approved the sale of its premium Print & Color brands -- including Astrobrights(R), Astroparche(R) and the Royal family of products -- and closure of its Brokaw, Wisconsin, paper mill. The sale, to Neenah Paper, Inc., is scheduled to close on January 31, 2012. The Brokaw mill will be permanently closed by March 31, 2012, marking the end of the Company's material participation in the Print and Color markets. The Brokaw shutdown will affect approximately 450 hourly and salaried jobs.

USPS,Two Unions, Continue Negotiations to Midnight, Dec. 16

The Postal Service and two of its major unions have agreed to continue to extend separate labor contract negotiations. Although the contracts with the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO (NALC) and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, AFL-CIO (NPMHU) expired at m idnight Sunday, Nov. 20, the Postal Service and the two

52.9% Say Print is the Most Cost-Effective Marketing Medium

Thankfully, the cross-media message seems to be getting through. More buyers this year than last see print and electronic media as complementary rather than rival media. Likewise, while last year just 23% of respondents were planning on upping their print spend in the next five years, this year the figure is 26% (Print Week Survey).

There is comparatively good news when you look at the proportion of marketing budgets spent on print, too. While print has admittedly dropped by a percentage point from last year to 52% of budgets, the internet has dropped 3% to 25%, radio from 3% to 1% and TV from 6% to 4%. The winners are of course social media and event marketing, but it is print that seems to have lost least.

And it seems print gives you more bang for your buck too. A healthy 52.9% say print is the most cost-effective marketing medium, while the internet and email poll just 16.4% and 17.1% respectively. More surprising, perhaps, considering the low cost, is the performance of social media campaigns: just 4.3% of respondents say social media is the most effective  ROI medium.

UPM to permanently close paper machine in Germany

UPM will permanently close down the paper machine 3 at UPM Ettringen paper mill on 14 December 2011 as being uncompetitive. In addition, overlapping operations are being restructured in the supply chain, paper sales and functions in the Ettringen, Plattling and Hürth mills. The negotiations concerning reconciliation of interest and social plan are concluded at the German units except Albbruck.

Resolute Forest Products Announces Downtime at SC Mill

Resolute reported that it will temporarily stop production the two machines at its Kénogami, Quebec mill.   PM 6, a 77,000 metric tonne per year uncoated mechanical/SC-B paper machine will close next week and PM 7, a 139,000 mtpy uncoated mechanical/SC-A machine will be shut down on December 23.  The machines will be restarted on January 3.  The downtime is market related.  Resolute announced five weeks of downtime at its Fort Francis mill last week.

Separately, Resolute CEO Richard Garneau said that the company will continue to operate its Bowater Mersey newsprint mill in Nova Scotia.  The government granted the mill a $50 million package to help keep it running.

Stockholders Approve Merger

Temple-Inland stockholders approved the company’s merger with International Paper.  The merger is still subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.

More QR Codes in Magazines

Interactive barcodes have been popping up more in magazines—Meredith Corp. has just announced it had selected Microsoft Tag as the 2D barcode standard across its magazines—but some questions still remain about its impact as an advertising tool.  Effectiveness remains a question, though
http://www.adweek.com/print/136948

Time Warner CEO Sees Good Q1 Ad Forecast

Time Warner Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes said the outlook for first-quarter advertising is "pretty good," depending on what happens with the world economy, despite signs of softness in the fourth quarter. Assuming no new economic shock internationally, "we are looking fine for the first quarter," he said at an appearance at an investor conference sponsored by UBS AG in New York on Tuesday. His comments came a day after Viacom Inc. CEO Philippe Dauman said he also expected to see stronger ad-sales growth in the beginning of 2012 than the end of 2011.

Third-Party Environmental Audits On the Rise

Reuters had a piece a couple of weeks ago about the growing pressure on corporations to hire independent auditors to validate their “green cred” and stave off claims of greenwashing:

Green audits – which for medium-sized companies can easily cost more than $100,000 – are helping a growing number of corporations assert their environmental responsibility in the face of scrutiny from the government, as well as consumers.

Regulators are making more demands. For example, companies that label their products as eco-friendly likely will face tougher oversight from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission under guidelines proposed a year ago.

Environmentalists make demands also. Overly positive green claims regularly trigger protest campaigns by such groups as Greenpeace. Green audits can also help companies find energy savings, fend off publicity nightmares and attract investors concerned about climate change.

EU Commission to Investigate Pricing of eBooks

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM—Dec. 6, 2011—The European Commission has opened formal antitrust proceedings to investigate whether international book publishers have, possibly with the help of Apple, engaged in anti-competitive practices affecting the sale of eBooks in breach of EU antitrust rules. The publishers include Hachette Livre, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holzbrinck.

Talbots Looking for New CEO, Closing Stores and Gets Offer From Sycamore

Yesterday, Talbots announced it had hired an executive search firm to find a new chief executive officer and that it was closing 83 stores this year and 110 stores by the end of 2013.  Today, Talbots received an offer from private equity firm Sycamore Partners, which currently owns 9.9%, of $212 million for the balance of the company.

http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/aggregatedcontent/talbots-closing-83-stores-2011

Publisher Bonnier Buys Four Hunting Events

Bonnier Corporation [1], publisher of magazines including Field & Stream [2] and Outdoor Life [3], has purchased four hunting expos from Mequon, Wisconsin-based Target Communications [4] for an undisclosed sum.
http://www.foliomag.com/node/38304/print

Twin Rivers Madawaska Mill/Rail Deal

 Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway announced a tentative deal Tuesday to sell 25 miles of railroad tracks and effectively end a long-running dispute by allowing another shipper access to a Madawaska paper mill. If the Federal Rail Administration and Maine Department of Transportation approve, J.D. Irving subsidiary Eastern Maine Railway will purchase the Madawaska-Van Buren-St. Leonard railroad line for an undisclosed amount.
Twin Rivers Paper Co. executives claimed a year ago that the Madawaska mill’s future was threatened by MM&A’s failure to maintain its railroad tracks and by its missed delivery and pickup deadlines — often forcing the coated and uncoated papermaker to hire trucks on the fly to make shipments — because of miscommunication or an insufficient number of railroad runs.
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/06/business/hermon-railroad-announces-deal-to-sell-tracks-to-madawaska-mill/print/

J.C. Penney Buys 16.6 Percent Share of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

After initiating a search for investors and potential partners with Blackstone Advisory Partners in May 2011, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announces the resulting partnership. Retailer J.C. Penney invests $38.5 million in the multi-brand company, and will hold a 16.6 percent stake.

Canadian Pulp & Paper Companies Profitable for Three Quarters

The nine Canadian pulp and paper producers tracked by PPI Pulp & Paper Week recorded three consecutive quarters of profit in the face of unfavorable currency exchange rates, higher raw material costs and pricing pressures.  The profit margin, however, remained very thin.  Net earnings excluding special items for the group averaged 1.2% in Q3; they were 1.5% in Q2 and 2.2% in Q1.  Sales were up 2.3% for Q3 2011 as compared to Q3 2012; revenues were down 1.2% in the same period.

Cross Platform Magazine Readers Increasing

All of the big magazines publishers have been making efforts to attract new subscribers across all available venues.  Affinity, in its American Magazine Study, has reported the following results:

US Will Stop Magazine Sales in Overseas Commissaries

Rising transportation costs and a 25 percent sales drop since 2008 to blame.
By the start of February, magazines will no longer be sold at overseas commissaries, according to officials with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCa). This includes 68 stores in Europe, the Pacific (Japan, Okinawa, South Korea and Guam) and Puerto Rico.
Sales at these stores amounted to roughly $1.46 million—620,000 units—in 2011.

H1 B-to-b Media Revenue Up 7.1%, Print Up 4.9%

Total b-to-b media revenue increased 7.1% to $12.9 billion in the first half of the year compared with the year-earlier period, according to Business Information Network data released by American Business Media.

Print and trade show revenue also grew. Print revenue was up 4.9%, climbing to $3.9 billion in the first half, and trade show revenue increased 1.0% to $5.1 billion.

Direct Mail Preferred Consumer Vehicle

Dallas—Despite the rise of digital marketing and channel proliferation, direct mail is preferred over email for receiving marketing messages, according to a new study by multichannel marketing company Epsilon.allas.

According to the company's “The Formula for Success: Preference and Trust,” direct mail is preferred over email in receiving brand or product information in almost every category, including financial services (36% to 8%), insurance (36% to 9%) and travel (21% to 13%).

In the study, based on an online poll in August of 2,226 U.S. consumers, 65% strongly agreed that they get too many emails, and 75% said they receive “a lot of emails I don't open.”

DMA, MPA Ask USPS to Withdraw Exigent Price Increase

Four postal associations have asked U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to withdraw the U.S. Postal Service�s request for a $2.3 billion exigent postage increase for 2012.

The four groups -- The Direct Marketing Association; the Association for Postal Commerce 9; Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers; and MPA-The Association of Magazine Media -- sent a letter today to Donahoe, saying the request for a $2.3 billion exigent (above inflation) postage increase would be above the announced inflation-capped postage increases scheduled for Jan. 22, 2012.

Challenge; Finding Metrics to Measure Multichannel Ads

Marketers report difficulty making sense of online metrics

Companies can no longer ignore the growing online population, and many have already found ways to successfully reach both online and offline audiences using multichannel advertising.

But difficulties associated with integrating and measuring the integration of online and offline advertising are also to blame.
http://www.emarketer.com/Articles/Print.aspx?R=1008719

Weekly Magazines Readying for No Saturday Mail

Many weekly magazines deliberately try to reach subscribers in time for the weekend, when there's more time for reading—and shopping trips that might wind up reflecting advertisers' suggestions. Losing Saturday would delay many copies until Monday, when the competition for time and attention is stiffer.

http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/magazines-gird-usps-nixing-saturday-delivery/231362/

HP Acquires Hiflex

HP today announced it has acquired Hiflex Software GmbH, a privately held global software solutions provider specializing in web-to-print and management information systems solutions for printing services. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1991, Hiflex is headquartered in Aachen, Germany.

PEFC Group Certification, Lower Cost for Small Owners

A new forest certification initiative from PEFC is designed to lower the heretofore sometimes prohibitive cost of forest certification for the small landholder.  It allows groups of small forest landholders to pool their resources and work together to achieve third-party verified sustainable forest management certification.

Vertis Gets Contract with Save Mart

Save Mart Supermarkets has named Vertis Communications as its exclusive provider of advertising inserts printing and logistics. This new contract, a complement to Media Services Vertis currently provides to Save Mart, will enhance the quality and speed to market of compelling inserts that capture attention and drive sales.

New Online Spending Record, $6 billion for Cyber Week

comScore (NASDAQ : SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 32 days of the November – December 2011 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $18.7 billion has been spent online, marking a 15-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year.  For each of three individual days, spending surpassed $1 billion.

MagnaGlobal Forecasts 5% Ad Growth for 2012

MagnaGlobal has revised its global ad spending forecast to 4.7% growth this year, down from an earlier projection of 5.2% growth. The restatement, to a total $427 billion, is due to softening in some markets during the second half of the year. 
Next year, global ad spending is projected to grow by 5.0% to $449 billion, down from projected 6.5% growth, according to the forecast.

St. Marys Paper Gets a Tax Break

St. Marys Paper of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario has won a property tax appeal. (The mill has been closed, no restart date has been announced.)

The company appealed its property assessment for 2006, 2007, and 2008.

An assessment board has ruled that the total assessment (both property taxes and education taxes) be reduced from $12.935 million to $3.78 million. This reduction will also have an affect on the tax years 2009, 2010, and 2011 due to the concept of tax capping.

EPA to Review Boiler Mact Regulations

EPA reconsiders boiler and incinerator emissions standards; would set limits for less than 1% of boilers

WASHINGTON DC, Dec. 2, 2011 (Press Release) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing changes to Clean Air Act standards for boilers and certain incinerators based on extensive analysis, review and consideration of data and input from states, environmental groups, industry, lawmakers and the public. The proposed reconsideration would achieve extensive public health protections through significant reductions in toxic air pollutants, including mercury and soot, while increasing the rule's flexibility and addressing compliance concerns raised by industry and labor groups. The changes also cut the cost of implementation by nearly 50 percent from the original 2010 proposed rule while maintaining health benefits. These standards meet important requirements laid out in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.

Rail Strike Averted

WASHINGTON DC, Dec. 1, 2011 (Press Release) - The nation's major freight railroads today reached tentative agreements with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the American Train Dispatchers Association, which together represent about 26,500 employees in collective bargaining.

No Plans to Advertise on USPS Vehicles

Reports conflict over USPS freight truck advertising: In spite of several media reports indicating that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is in a partnership with Colorado-based advertiser Lighted Promotions to sell advertising on up to 17,000 postal freight delivery trucks in 11 states nationwide, a USPS spokesperson told Direct Marketing News on Dec. 2 that no such arrangement exists.

Postal Service Making Cuts, Will Slow 1st Class

Postal Service Pushes Forward with Big Cuts to First-Class Mail Next Spring: Facing bankruptcy, the U.S. Postal Service is pushing ahead with unprecedented cuts to first-class mail next spring that will slow delivery and, for the first time in 40 years, eliminate the chance for stamped letters to arrive the next day.

Global Ad Spending Up for 2012

2012 Global Ad Spend Forecasted to Grow 4.7%: The latest forecast by ZenithOptimedia finds that global ad spending in major media will grow 4.7% to $486 billion in 2012.

Magazine News Roundup

Time Inc. has named Sally Preston as publisher of Real Simple.  Ms Preston was most recently working at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Open Sky Media, a portfolio company of private equity firm Hadley Capital, has purchased Marin magazine.  Open Sky has recently bought a number of regional properties; chairman Paul Wormley said he is very optimistic about the city and regional magazine space and that their brands will have a strong digital presence, providing a “gateway to the print product.”

Consumer Reports is offering its print subscribers iPad access at no extra cost beginning with the January issue.

More About Magazines

Trunk, a lifestyle magazine focusing primarily on travel, will now be published biannually and, because of a deal with Source Interlink, it will now be sold in 20 countries.

Bauer Media Group has cut the rate base of Touch Weekly from 800,000 to 650,000 and Life Style Weekly from 450,000 to 400,000, as of January.

American Legacy, which did not publish three issues this year, has raised the new investment capital it sought and will resume publishing in February.

The Economist now has more than 100,000 digital subscribers, more than 3 million downloads of its app and has increased its print circulation 3% in the first 6 months of 2011.

Last of Friday's Magazine Roundup News

Hearst Corp., Advance Digital, A.H. Belo, Cox Media, Gannett, MediaNews, McClatchy and The Washington Post Co. have joined in creating Find n Save, a common platform that offers promotions and deals through newspaper websites.

American Media has signed an agreement with Fresh Media Group.  The $10 million deal will reduce AMI’s costs by outsourcing production to Group FMG.

IDG will shutter its video gaming magazine GamePro.  The winter edition will be its last.

Chapel Hill and Durham magazine publisher Dan Shannon is adding a new title, The Weekly.

Pregnancy magazine will be only available in digital format after the December/January issue, its last in print.

Consumers Still Like Direct Mail

Consumers Still Like Direct Mail

A study conducted by Epsilon found that 50% of U.S. consumers prefer direct mail to email and 75% say they get more email than they can read.  60% of the 2,226 consumers in the survey said they enjoy checking their physical mailboxes, a phenomenon the Consumer Channel Preference Study refers to as an “emotional connection” consumers have to their postal mail.

Separately, The American Catalog Mailer Association published the following statement: “We estimate the catalog industry paid $3.6 billion in postage, generating more than $1 billion of fixed-cost coverage above what it cost the USPS to deliver the catalogs...”  “..half of America buys from catalogs.”

Teen Vogue Gets New Publisher

Condé Nast Names New Publisher for Teen Vogue
Jason Wagenheim, who just stepped down from his position as publisher of Condé Nast title Glamour, has been named as publisher of Teen Vogue.  The company also announced that Kevin Martinez, who left Hearst in June, will become publisher of Details.

Meredith Begins ROI Program with K-C

Kimberly Clark First Meredith Engagement Dividend Client
Meredith Corp. announced early this year that it was offering, to selected advertisers who met specific criteria, a program that guarantees an increase in sales tied to printed ads.  Nielsen and Meredith data will be used by Engagement Dividend, which will be launched early next year.

Great Northern (Katahdin) Gets $1 Million from Maine

Great Northern Gets Help From State
Great Northern Paper is the owner of mills in East Millinocket and Millinocket, Maine, both of which had been closed until the company restarted PM 5, a newsprint and uncoated mechanical machine last month.  Now, the Board of Directors of the Finance Authority of Maine has approved a direct loan of $1 million, giving Great Northern a chance to better its financial position.  FAME is trying to help the mill retain ~215 jobs in the state.

Two Bidders for NewPage Port Hawkesbury Named

Two of Four Bidders for Port Hawkesbury Interested in Restart
The NewPage Post Hawkesbury mill, which went into creditor protection in September, has been in the process of seeking a new owner.   Reportedly, there are four bidders, two of whom will probably restart at least the 400,000 short ton per year Supercalendered paper machine, if not the newsprint/uncoated mechanical PM.  Previously, Paper Excellence (part of Asian giant APP) was identified as a suitor and today Stern Partners was named as the second firm interested in running the mill again.  Stern is owner or part owner of West Linn Paper, Alberta Newsprint, FP Newspapers and Canstar Publications.

Bowater Mersey Newsprint Mill Gets Reprieve

$50 Million for Bowater Mersey from Nova Scotia taxpayers:

Premier Darrell Dexter was in Liverpool, Nova Scotia this afternoon to make a multi-million dollar announcement for the Bowater Mersey mill.

Richard Garneau, CEO of Resolute Forest Products (co-owner of the Bowater Mersey mill) signed an agreement Thursday to maintain the mill for five years.

50% of Consumers Prefer Direct Mail

Study: Fifty percent of consumers prefer direct mail to email

Of the 2,226 U.S. consumers surveyed for the third Consumer Channel Preference Study, 60% said they enjoy checking their physical mailboxes, highlighting what the study refers to as an “emotional connection” to postal mail. In the U.S., 75% of consumers say they get more email than they can read.

Manroland Secures Credit, Production Continues

Germany's manroland mass credit approved; continuation of production and business secured

AUGSBURG, Germany, Dec. 2, 2011 (Press Release) - For the insolvent manroland AG the provisional insolvency administrator Werner Schneider has secured an agreement for a so-called "Massekredit" (similar to debtor-in-possession financing). "Continuation of production and business operations at manroland is therefore secured," said Werner Schneider, a financial auditor.

Time Inc. Names Real Simple Publisher

Sally Preston Named 'Real Simple' Publisher

The day after it named a new CEO, Time Inc. has ended another extended leadership search. Real Simple announced Thursday that Sally Preston would be its next publisher, ending a four-month process. Preston’s hire was in the works for a while, but was delayed by her previous employment at Real Simple rival Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Manufacturing Expands for 28th Consecutive Month

Manufacturing ISM Report On Business Reports Growth: In the Latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®: The PMI registered 52.7 percent, an increase of 1.9 percentage points from October's reading of 50.8 percent, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector for the 28th consecutive month.
PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY
Of the 18 manufacturing industries, eight are reporting growth in November, in the following order: Wood Products; Textile Mills; Petroleum & Coal Products; Primary Metals; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; and Paper Products.

Sun Chemical Increases Prices on Press Blankets

Sun Chemical’s Rycoline Division to Increase Prices on Blanket Lines: PARSIPPANY, NJ—Dec. 1, 2011—Due to continued increases in the costs of key raw materials such as textiles and rubber compounds, Sun Chemical’s Rycoline Group will raise prices in North America by 5 percent on most blanket lines,...

Warren Buffet, Former News Boy, Buys Newspaper

Berkshire Hathaway to acquire Omaha World-Herald Co.: Omaha, Neb.—Berkshire Hathaway has announced plans to acquire Omaha World-Herald Co., which publishes the World-Herald and other daily and weekly newspapers in Nebraska and Iowa.

GamePro Magazine Shuttered

IDG Folds GamePro Magazine to Focus on Custom Projects: One of the last of the U.S. print magazines on video gaming left in the market is folding as IDG announced yesterday GamePro ceases publication with the current Winter issue.

USPS Will Fix Delay in Magazine Deliveries

USPS Promises to Fix ‘Unacceptable’ Flats Processing Delays:On-time performance levels for one-to-two day periodicals delivery have slumped to as low as 44 percent this year as USPS expanded its use of automated flats sequencing systems as a way of improving efficiency in processing flats immediately prior to delivery.

Online Ad Revenue Up 22% in Q3

Online ad revenue in Q3 nears $8 billion: New York—Internet ad revenue in the U.S. reached $7.9 billion in the third quarter, up 22% over the year-earlier period, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Reuters Interview with Hearst CEO: Digital, New Time CEO

NEW YORK November30 (Reuters) - Hearst Magazines expects to reach one million digital subscriptions by the end of next year...Magazine companies are facing unprecedented challenges as a growing number of people choose to read content on digital devices like tablet computers and smart phones instead of in traditional print format.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/30/us-media-summit-hearst-idUSTRE7AT2FB20111130

Publishers; Digital Good for Audience Development, Maybe Not Advertising

The State of the Digital Edition Industry in 2011:
Nxtbook Media [1] recently wrapped its 2011 State of the Digital Edition survey, which looked at audience development and revenue growth, as well as where mobile fits in...Publishers are less satisfied with digital editions as an advertising tool than as an audience tool.

Consumer Confidence Index Improves

Consumer Confidence Index Improves: The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined in October, improved in November. The Index now stands at 56.0 (1985=100), up from 40.9 in October.

Progress on IP/Temple-Inland Deal

Temple-Inland settles shareholder lawsuits over sale to International Paper:
Austin-based packaging and building products maker Temple-Inland Inc. has settled multiple shareholder lawsuits over the company's planned $3.7 billion sale to International Paper Co., according to a securities filing.

Fibrek Recats to Resolute (AbitibiBowater) Bid

Fibrek reviews take-over bid from Resolute
The Board of Directors fears that Resolute’s unsolicited offer undervalues Fibrek and its future prospects. “The consideration offered under the Resolute proposal does not capture Fibrek’s true value for its shareholders”, said Pierre Gabriel Côté, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fibrek.

Canfor Follows Domtar, Cuts NBSK Price $30/Metric Tonne for December 1

NewPage Port Hawkesbury and Bowater Mersey Paper Get Break in Electric Rates

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board ruled that NewPage Port Hawkesbury, which is in bankruptcy protection and seeking a buyer, and Bowater Mersey Paper, which has been struggling, will receive a discounted rate for electricity for a period a three years.  The companies had requested a five-year respite. 

UPM Will Close Albbruck Mill in January

UPM reported in September that, absent finding a way forward, it would close its Albbruck, Germany 320,000 metric tonne per year coated mechanical mill.  A potential Russian investor materialized in October, but in the end, no alternatives were found to keep the mill running.  The mill, which employs 557 people, will close in January 2012.

USPS begins new year with $139 million loss

USPS begins new year with $139 million loss: Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Postal Service posted a $139 million loss for October, the first month of its 2012 fiscal year. That compares with a net profit of $283 million in the same period last year.

Digitas CEO Laura Lang Tapped as Time Inc. CEO

Time Warner announced the appointment of Laura Lang to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Time Inc., the largest publishing company in the U.S.   Since the departure of Jack Griffen last February, an interim management committee has been running the firm.  Ms Lang was most recently CEO of Digitas, the largest global digital marketing agency; she will begin in January. 

S&P Revises R.R. Donnelley Outlook to Negative from Stable

S&P Revises R.R. Donnelley Outlook to Negative from Stable: Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services revised its outlook on Chicago-based printer R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. (RRD) to negative from stable. The outlook revision reflects our expectation of weak economic conditions, negative trends in...

Advertising on USPS vehicles “could raise $360m a year”

Advertising on USPS vehicles “could raise $360m a year”: The US Postal Service could be making more than $360m a year in extra revenue by using its vehicles as a platform for advertising.

Open Sky Media Acquires Marin Magazine

Open Sky Media Acquires Marin Magazine:

Study: Mag Industry Hops On Action Code Trend, Engages Consumers

Study: Mag Industry Hops On Action Code Trend, Engages Consumers:

For Some, Digital Revenues a Sorely Needed Boon:

With print advertising on the run, digital continues to rise.

NewPage Port Hawkesbury gets timeline extension to sell mill:
This morning the Nova Scotia Supreme Court has approved an extension to NewPage Port Hawkesbury‘s creditor protection period.

Quebecor lays off 400: reports:

The train service that moves 268,000 Calgarians daily served up little but chaos during both commuter rushes Monday, as the weekend windstorm's aftermath triggered one of the worst LRT shutdowns in recent... Alberta's Progressive Conservative government is in danger of forgetting an important, costly lesson from provincial history and the PC ... (more)

Germany Goes Out of Print as manroland Files for Insolvency: Germany, which invented the printing industry more than 500 years ago and dominates the market to this day, has lost its talent for making money from the presses. In the weeks before manroland’s insolvency filing, the company negotiated with...

Bauer Cuts Rate Base on In Touch and Life & Style:

Quebecor's Sun Media cutting 400 jobs: union:

It was on Twitter where talk first emerged that the Montreal-based multimedia giant would be cutting at Sun Media, which has dozens of papers, free commuter publications and numerous weeklies in Ontario, Quebec and other provinces.

Transcontinental launches a new brand image: To better reflect its evolution into a leading player in the new marketing communications landscape, Transcontinental today launched a new brand, logo and positioning: TC. Transcontinental, the Canadian leader in marketing activation.

HP Q4 earnings down 88 percent: HP today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2011."HP has a great opportunity to build on our strong hardware, software, and services franchises with leading market positions, customer relationships, and intellectual property," said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer.

USPS Shipping Rates Rise An Average Of 4.6%: The U.S. Postal Service announced its rate increases for all shipping services and the average rate increase will be 4.6%, effective Jan. 22, 2012

Fibrek acknowledge’s Resolute Forest Product’s unsolicited take-over bid:
Overnight, Fibrek Inc. put out a press release acknowledging Resolute Forest Product‘s (formerly known as AbitibiBowater) unsolicited offer to acquire Fibrek.

Manroland administrator reports investor interest: A number of unidentified investors have already expressed an interest in Manroland, according to the court-appointed administrator Werner Schneider.

Bowater Mersey and NewPage Port Hawkesbury get 3 year power rate break:
It isn’t the 5 year power rate break they had requested, but Bowater Mersey and NewPage Port Hawkesbury in Nova Scotia will be receiving a 3 year break on their power bills.

NewPage under bankrupcty protection, but still wants a $3 million payout for 15 executives:
NewPage Corporation may be under bankruptcy protection, but that hasn’t stopped the company from filing a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court asking for approval for $3 million in a short-term incentive program to be split among 15 of its executives.

Resolute Forest Products curtails paper making in Fort Frances for the rest of the year:
Resolute Forest Products, previously known as AbitibiBowater, is curtailing its Fort Frances, Ontario paper machines for the rest of the year. The downtime will start next week.

100 employees will be affected.

Poor market conditions are cited for the downtime.

Kraft mill operations are not affected.

USPS: Catalogs Pay Their Way – American Catalog Mailers …: American Catalog Mailer Association makes its case: “We estimate the catalog industry paid $3.6 billion in postage, generating more than $1 billion of fixed-cost coverage above what it cost the USPS to deliver the catalogs. ...

Norske Skog recommends closure of its Follum mill

USPS Hires Banking Advisory Firm to Help With Restructuring Business Model: Statement on Retention of Evercore Partners The U.S. Postal Service must make fundamental changes to its business model to return to profitability and continue its mission of providing quality service to every address in the nation. Proposed changes include operational, compensation and benefits changes to reduce Postal Service annual expenses by $20 billion by 2015.

PRC Approves January Postage Increase: As we told you in our October 28, 2011 E-tip the United States Postal Service announced their intention to increase postage on market dominant products by an average of 2.133%, effective January 22, 2012. This increase was approved on Tuesday 11/22/2011 by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Price Increases The price increases vary by mail class and [...]

USPS Says Recession Cost $2.34B: by Jim Tierney at Multi-Channel Merchant In defense of a bid for an exigent rate increase next year, the U.S. Postal Service claims the recession impacted its finances to the tune of $2.34 billion during fiscal years 2008-09, according to a Nov. 21 filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission. Given the fact that Congress hasn’t agreed to any [...]

USPS proposes rate increases for 2012 – Direct Marketing News: The U.S. Postal Service ( USPS ) seeks to raise shipping service rates by 4.6%, the company said in a Nov. 22 statement. Priority Mail prices will increase on average 3.1%, Express Mail prices will increase 3.3% and ...

USPS announces rate hikes for competitive classes of mail | Rocky …: The average for Priority Mail is 3.1% and Express Mail is 3.3%. A number of service changes indicate the USPS is trying to incent mailers to reduce window service demands, reducing USPS costs. DMA supports this trend and ...

NewPage Port Hawkesbury seeks extension to creditor protection period:
NewPage Port Hawkesbury filed a motion with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court yesterday asking the court to extend its period of creditor protection.

The motion will be heard on Tuesday.


NewPage Port Hawkesbury seeks extension to creditor protection period is a post from: ForestTalk.com

manroland AG files for Insolvency: manroland AG today filed a petition to initiate insolvency proceedings with the jurisdictional district court at Augsburg, after the negotiations with a potential investor have failed on the home stretch. At the same time the company has filed a request for self-administration in order to finalize the on-going restructuring efforts. The provisional insolvency administrator Werner Schneider will in due course examine the situation at manroland, in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the si

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Two Unions Continue Negotiations with U.S. Postal Service: WASHINGTON, DC—Nov. 20, 2011—Although the contracts with the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO (NALC) and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, AFL-CIO (NPMHU) expired at midnight Sunday, Nov. 20, the Postal Service...

Postmaster General Urges Congress to Reevaluate the Postal Reform Bills: WASHINGTON, DC—Nov. 21, 2011—In a speech delivered to the National Press Club, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe encouraged Congress to step back and take a second look at postal reform legislation as currently drafted in the House...

RR Donnelley Expands Packaging and Product Labeling Platform With Acquisition of StratusGroup:

R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company today announced that it has acquired West Chester, OH based StratusGroup, Inc., a full service manufacturer of custom pressure sensitive label and paperboard packaging products for health and beauty, food, beverage and other segments.

Valpak partners with Savings.com – Direct Marketing News: Coupon companies Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc and Savings.com have partnered to provide more than 20000 online coupons from national brands and retailers on Valpak.com, both companies said Nov. 21.

Postmaster General Urges Congress to Reevaluate Current Postal Reform Bills: WASHINGTON — In a speech delivered today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe encouraged Congress to step back and take a second look at postal reform legislation as currently drafted in the House and Senate.

Negotiations On Postal Union Contracts Extended:

Just 1 in 3 Consumers Say QR Code Scan Was Worth It: A survey of more than 500 U.S. consumers finds that 72% of consumers say they have seen a QR code, yet nearly 30% of these respondents do not know what it is.

RR Donnelley Acquires StratusGroup to Expands Its Packaging, Labeling Platform: CHICAGO—Nov. 22, 2011—R. R. Donnelley & Sons has acquired West Chester, OH-based StratusGroup Inc., a full-service manufacturer of custom pressure-sensitive label and paperboard packaging products for health and beauty, food,...

Jason Wagenheim Out as Glamour Publisher After 2½ Months: This story first appears on FOLIO: sister publication, minoline.