Consumer Magazines Flat Second Half

http://www.foliomag.com/node/38482/print

Despite continued high hopes for the post-recession period, the magazine industry limped through the second half of 2011. ABC’s second-half 2011 FAS FAX reports total paid circulation stayed basically flat from second half 2010 to second half 2011, down about one percent from 305.5 million to 302.45 million. Subscription numbers fared slightly better, up less than one percent from second half 2010’s 260.59 million to second half 2011’s 262.47 million total paid subs.

2012 Starts With B-to-B M&A Activity

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120210/MEDIABUSINESS03/302079990/mixed-outlook-for-b-to-b-media-m-a?utm_source=bb-issuealert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=bb-issuealertclicks

The b-to-b media industry greeted the new year with a surprising flurry of M&A activity. 

Q3 B-to-B Print Revenue Up 4.6%

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120210/MEDIABUSINESS/302139991/the-state-of-b-to-b-media?utm_source=bb-issuealert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=bb-issuealertclicks

Some recent figures from American Business Media depict a growing b-to-b media sector. Not surprising, digital revenue for b-to-b media was up 22%, to $1.6 billion, in the third quarter last year over the same period in 2010, according to ABM's Business Information Network figures.

In the same time frame, print revenue increased 4.6%, to $5.7 billion, and trade show revenue increased 1.1%, to $7.7 billion. 

Analysts; Penton to Continue Current Path

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120210/MEDIABUSINESS06/302079993/ceo-hire-signals-penton-to-remain-on-same-path?utm_source=bb-issuealert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=bb-issuealertclicks

Penton Media, publisher of Registered Rep. and Supermarket News, named David Kieselstein as its new CEO late last month.

Industry observers say the Kieselstein hire signals that Penton, which is owned by private equity funds MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Co., will continue down the same path followed by Rowlands—pushing the company to become more focused on digital products and marketing services. 

Summit Business Media Names CEO

Steve Weitzner Named Summit Business Media CEO: T

Steve Weitzner, who ended a four-year stint as Ziff-Davis Enterprise CEO on Feb. 3 with the sale to QuinStreet, was named Summit Business Media CEO on February 13.

He succeeded Andrew Goodenough, who resigned in October 2011.

UPM Reports 2011 Results

UPM's EBITDA and operating cash flow improved in 2011:
EBITDA was EUR 301 million, 11.2% of sales (318 million, 13.5% of sales).
Delivery volumes decreased and variable costs remained high.
Operating cash flow continued to be strong at EUR 310 million.

DOJ Approves IP Temple-Inland Acquisition

http://www.paperage.com/2012news/02_10_2012ip_temple_antitrust.html

International Paper and Temple-Inland today announced that they have reached an agreement with the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice  with respect to International Paper's acquisition of Temple-Inland. As part of the agreement, the DOJ has entered into a consent decree with International Paper and Temple-Inland that allows the combination to proceed. 

UPM Receives Claims of Euro 54.1 Million

http://www.upm.com/EN/MEDIA/All-news/Pages/Claims-related-to-the-Finnish-roundwood-market-delivered-to-UPM-001-Fri-10-Feb-2012-10-05.aspx

UPM has received claims relating to the Market Court decision on breaching competition rules in the Finnish roundwood market (3 December 2009).
The capital amounts of all of the claims amount to EUR 227.7 million in the aggregate jointly and severally from UPM and two other companies, or alternatively and individually from UPM in the aggregate EUR 54.1 million.  In addition to the claims on capital amounts, the claimants also claim for compensation relating to value added tax and interests.  

Resolute Reports Status of Fibrek Bid

Resolute Announces that Fibrek's Shareholder Rights Plan has been Cease Traded: AbitibiBowater Inc., doing business as Resolute Forest Products, today announced that the Bureau de décision et de révision (Québec) has ordered that all rights and securities issued or issuable under the shareholder rights plan (the "Rights Plan") of Fibrek Inc. be cease traded effective as of 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on February 13, 2012.

RDA Sells Weekly Reader to Scholastic

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/giants_cruz_salsas_his_way_into_BasdvNQ6GwHEIQhRqIKyMI

Reader’s Digest Association reported the sale of My Weekly Reader to Scholastic Inc. yesterday.

Time Names Group Publisher

http://adage.com/print/232679

Time Inc. has promoted Charlie Kammerer, publisher of This Old House Ventures since 2009, to the newly created post of group publisher in charge of This Old House and Coastal Living.

FT Not for Sale

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120210/MEDIABUSINESS15/302109994/ft-not-for-sale-reports-growing-audience?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=dailyclickthroughs

Responding to a story in the Guardian newspaper that reported Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters have negotiated to buy the Financial Times, a spokesperson from Pearson, the FT's owner, said in a statement: “The FT is a very valued and valuable part of Pearson. It is not for sale.”

Cottages & Gardens Launches New Title

http://www.minonline.com/news/New-York-Cottages-and-Gardens-to-Launch_19904.html

Luxury design publisher Cottages & Gardens will roll out a new title in March aimed at the affluent hoods of New York. New York Cottages & Gardens is targeting upper-income areas of the city, Westchester Country, Long Island and Hudson Valley.  

Resolute Forest Products Announces 2011 Sales of $4.8 Billion

Resolute Forest Products reports net income of $41 million in 2011:
AbitibiBowater, doing business as Resolute Forest Products, has reported net income of $41 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 on sales of $4.8 billion.
This can be compared to a net income of $2.6 billion on sales of $4.7 billion in the year ended December 31, 2010.
The fourth quarter of 2011 resulted in a net loss of $6 million on sales of $1.1 billion, compared to net income of $4.2 billion on sales of $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010.

M-real Proposes Name Change

M-real Corporation's Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting to be convened on 28 March 2012 that the company's business name is changed to Metsä Board Corporation.

The new name and identity reflects a company that is according to its strategy strongly focused on high-quality ecological paperboards, and is innovative, responsible and stronger than before.

M-real Reports 2011 and Q4 Results

http://www.m-real.com/Pages/Default.aspx

Full Year 2011

Sales were EUR 2,485 million (Q1–Q4/2010: 2,605)
The operating result excluding non-recurring items was EUR 59 million (173). The operating result including non-recurring items was EUR -214 million (146).
The result before taxes excluding non-recurring items was EUR 0 million (92). The result before taxes including non-recurring items was EUR -281 million (48).

Earnings per share from continuing operations excluding non-recurring items were EUR 0.02 (0.23) and including non-recurring items EUR -0.83 (0.09).

Court Approves Catalyst Financing

Court approves Catalyst Paper’s DIP financing:
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has approved advances under the debtor-in possession (DIP) financing of up to approximately $175 million from JP Morgan, subject to certain terms and conditions, that the lenders have agreed to provide to Catalyst during the CCAA proceedings.

Hearst Ups Equity Interest in Fitch

Hearst Ups Equity Interest in Fitch Group to 50 Percent: Hearst Corporation has upped its equity interest in global credit ratings agency Fitch Group again, adding an additional 10 percent. The transaction, valued at $177 million, brings Heart’s total equity interest to 50 percent.

Bloomberg Businessweek & New York Magazine in Top 5

http://www.minonline.com/news/Top-5-WeekBiweek-Five-Year-Report-Bloomberg-BW-and-Autoweek-Rev-Their-Engines_19899.html

Concluding our five-year analysis of magazine advertising, we take a look at weekly and biweekly boxscores for 2007-2011 in min (see graph below). Only seven of the 30 mags that we track had an upward gain in ad sales for 2011. Three titles deserve recognition here: Bloomberg Businessweek, Autoweek and New York magazine (among top five with highest gains).

USPS Reports Q1 Loss and Other News

USPS Losses Total $3.3B in First Quarter as Mail Volumes Decline: The U.S. Postal Service ended the first three months of its 2012 fiscal year (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2011) with a net loss of $3.3 billion.

 http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/2012/02/08/hundreds-of-post-offices-dropped-from-u-s-postal-service-closure-list/

U.S. Postal Service list of about 3,650 post offices under study for closure? It’s now down to around 3,270.

Since the original roster was released last July, 380 facilities have quietly been given a reprieve.

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120207/DIRECT0202/302079996/postal-service-proposes-rule-change-on-electronic-subscriptions&template=printart

The U.S. Postal Service has proposed a rule change that would allow publishers to report digital copies as paid and requested circulation. This change would allow publishers to count digital editions as part of the 50% of a publication's total circulations that must be from customers who have paid for or requested the publication.

Sappi Annouces Q1 FY2012 Profit

Sappi Limited Results for the First Quarter Ended December 2011:

Profit for the period US$45 million; Q1 2011 US$37 million.
Operating profit excluding special items US$100 million;  Q1 2011 US$137 million.

The quarter ended December 2010 included 14 weeks whereas the quarters ended September 2011 and December 2011 included 13 weeks.

Stora Enso Reports Q4 Results

Nordic paper maker Stora Enso Q4 profit plunges to $130 million on high costs, low demand:
Stora Enso Oyj has reported a 66% decrease in fourth quarter net profit to 100 million as the paper maker was hit by higher costs and low demand.

Stora Enso Restructures to Cut Costs

Stora Enso Restructures to Drop $63.6 Million in Costs: Stora Enso has announced a restructuring plan that aims to cut costs in its annual magazine paper operation by about $63.6 million by third quarter 2013, with the goal of improving efficiency and productivity.

Norske Skog Announces Q4 Earnings

Norske Skog : Improved Operations, Challenging Market: Norske Skog improved gross operating earnings in the fourth quarter, partly due to lower costs.
Gross operating earnings in the fourth quarter were NOK 503 million, compared to NOK 469 million in the third quarter.

Nippon Paper to Restart Ishinomaki PMs

Nippon Paper to restart PM N5 and N6 at Ishinomaki mill, production expected to recover 75% of total capacity, plans to shut some production facilities: Nippon Paper Group, Inc. (President: Yoshio Haga) has moved forward with reconstruction efforts at Ishinomaki Mill, which sustained damage as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Nippon Reports Q3 Results

http://www.np-g.com/e/index.html

Nippon Paper Group, Inc. announces that it has posted extraordinary losses for the third quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 201.

ABC Releases H2 Circulation Numbers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/07/25-biggest-magazines-2011_n_1260092.html

The Audit Bureau of Circulation has released circulation figures for the second half of 2011. AARP magazine held onto its top spot with a circulation of more than 22 million. 

Hearst Names International VP

http://www.minonline.com/news/Jean-de-Boisdeffre-Named-Hearst-Magazines-International-Senior-VPAdvisor_19895.html

Jean de Boisdeffre, former  CEO of Lagardère Active's international magazines' business the Hearst acquisition of Hachette Filipacchi Media, has been named International Senior Vice President.

New York Magazine Circulation Up

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2012/02/5211776/latest-report-circulation-new-york-new-yorker

During a six month period in which the magazine industry continued to see decreases in subscriptions and newsstand sales, New York's hometown glossies still eked out small circulation gains.

Between July 2011 and the end of December, New York magazine's average paid circulation increased 0.1% according to the latest data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations and The New Yorker's average circulation rose 2.2%.

Disney's Club Penguin Launches Print Edition

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/03/disney-club-penguin-launch-magazine/print

Disney's Club Penguin, until now a virtual world for children, is launching a print magazine in the UK on February 9.

Scene Magazine Debuts

http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/making-the-scene-5619280/print-preview/

Jared Kushner’s controlled-circulation magazine, Scene, will debut on March 1. The monthly style and society title is helmed by publisher and chief executive officer Julie Dannenberg, editor in chief Peter Davis and creative director Cricket Burns.

Source Interlink's Four Wheeler Turns 50

http://www.minonline.com/news/Four-Wheeler-Turns-50_19892.html

Four Wheeler, a Source Interlink magazine with a circulation of 190,000 and a readership of 2.8 million, is celebrating it's 50th anniversary with a special retrospective issue.

Jobson Medical Files for Bankruptcy

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120203/MEDIABUSINESS1501/120209987/jobson-medical-files-chapter-11?utm_source=mediabiz&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=mediabiz

Jobson Medical Information Holdings, a b-to-b healthcare publisher that was acquired by a private equity fund of the Wicks Group of Cos. in 2005, has filed a “prepackaged” Chapter 11 plan in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Conde Nast Will Relaunch Domino

Conde Nast’s Domino Returns as a Special Issue: Condé Nast’s much-beloved Domino magazine, which closed in 2009, is making a return to market as a special edition, called Domino Quick Fixes, set to hit newsstands in April.

Consolidated Graphics Reports Quarterly Results

Consolidated Graphics Posts Revenue and Income Declines: Consolidated Graphics announced financial results for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011. Revenue for the quarter was $283.9 million, a $15.2 million or 5.1 percent decrease compared to the prior-year quarter. 

Heidelberg Reports Q3, NA Sales Up

Heidelberg revenue down 4%, North American sales up: In the third quarter of financial year 2011/2012, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG achieved a slightly positive result of operating activities with stable sales. Sales in the North America region were up significantly on the previous year's weak figure.

2011 NA Forest Product Indusry Capital Spending Up 46%

Capital spending by North American pulp and paper companies increased sharply in 2011, with most of the increased outlays focused on replacing higher-cost existing capacity, converting mills/machines to more profitable grades, energy cost reductions, enhancing quality, and environmental improvement.

Spending in 2011 increased by 46.5% and was up by more than $4 billion, compared with the 2010 spend, according to a PPI Pulp & Paper Week survey of 20 major North American pulp and paper manufacturers.

The 2011 total in the US alone was 120% higher than the 2009 total.

Resolute Forest Products Buys Co-Gen Plant

Resolute Forest Products buys idled co-gen plant in Dolbeau, Quebec:
Resolute Forest Products (formerly known as AbitibiBowater) has purchased the idled co-generation plant at Dolbeau, Quebec from Boralex for $5 million.

Paper Co.s May Lose Black Liquor Tax Loophole

U.S. Paper Companies May Lose Son of Black Liquor Loophole: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus is trying to close the Son of Black Liquor tax loophole that has already provided U.S. paper makers with a windfall of more than $1 billion.

ALM Relaunches Better Buildings

ALM Relaunches Better Buildings Brand with a National Supplement: ALM is resurrecting its Better Buildings brand, a tri-state area building management magazine which debuted in 1981 and shuttered in the mid 1990s, with the launch of a national, quarterly supplement of the same name, to be distributed along with its Real Estate Forum magazine.

US Commercial Printing Shipments Fall in December & Q4

US Commercial Printing Shipments End 2011 on Sour Note (Economics & Research Center):
U.S. commercial printing shipments for December were $6.96 billion. This was down -$207 million compared to December 2010, a decrease of -2.9%.

Quad/Graphics, Transcontinental Deal Ready to Close

http://www.qg.com/news/quad_news_detail.asp?NewMessageID=38745

Quad/Graphics Inc. today announced that it has been authorized by Canada’s Competition Bureau to complete the sale of its Canadian operations to Transcontinental Inc. The company expects to close the transaction in the next several weeks.

Edwards Brothers and Malloy Merge

http://www.piworld.com/article/edwards-brothers-malloy-merge-form-nation-s-sixth-largest-book-printer/1

Edwards Brothers and Malloy Inc., two leading book manufacturers, announced that they would merge effective Feb. 6, 2012, forming a new company called Edwards Brothers Malloy. The new company will have combined sales of $115 million and will be the sixth-largest book manufacturing firm in the United States.

QuinStreet to Cut 84% Ziff Davis Jobs

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120207/MEDIABUSINESS1501/302079997/quinstreet-to-cut-about-80-of-ziff-davis-enterprise-employees

QuinStreet Inc., an online vertical marketing company, plans to cut about 80% of Ziff Davis Enterprise employees in the wake of its acquisition of the tech media company, according to accounts by former ZDE employees. The total job cuts may approach 100 over the next several months.

AF&PA Comments on Renewable Tax Credits

http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=2416

American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman released a statement today in response to the proposed retroactive repeal of the renewable fuel tax credits.

Ziff Davis Enterprise Sold to Lead-Gen Company QuinStreet

Ziff Davis Enterprise Sold to Lead-Gen Company QuinStreet: Ziff Davis Enterprise, one-half of what remains of one of the most storied companies in the history of publishing, was sold Friday to QuinStreet, a publicly-traded lead-generation marketing company based in Foster City, California.

USPS Tops Postal Services Worldwide

USPS Tops Ranking of Postal Services Worldwide: A review of the performance of universal postal service providers ranks the U.S.P.S. as the best postal service within the world’s top 20 largest economies for access to services, resource efficiency and public trust.

Amazon & States Sales Tax Fight Continues

Amazon billed by Arizona for $53 million in sales taxes: Amazon claims that the state of Arizona has served the online company a tax bill for $53 million for uncollected sales tax.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/jan/28/amazon-tax-bills-come-due/

If you’ve been following the online sales tax saga then you probably know that Amazon has done all they  could to avoid collecting taxes. They’ve even gone so far as to cut off affiliates in CO, CT, IL.