Monday, April 9, 2012

Battle for Fibrek Continues


Fibrek Inc. ("Fibrek" or the "Company") announced today that Mercer International Inc. ("Mercer") has extended the expiry date of its superior offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Fibrek to April 16, 2012.

NFL Magazine Shuttered

NFL Magazine Is No More:  NFL magazine, launched last year, is closing. The April issue will be final issue.

Inc. Names Editor

Schurenberg named editor of 'Inc.': Mansueto Ventures has named Erick Schurenberg the new editor of Inc. Previously the editor of Inc.com, Schurenberg succeeds Jane Berentson, who is now the brand's international editor and will move to London.

Goldstone Returns as Hanley Wood CEO

Peter Goldstone Returns to Hanley Wood As CEO: Hanley Wood's CEO Frank Anton is transitioning into a chairman role, the company announced today. Former Hanley Wood president Peter Goldstone, is returning to the company as CEO.

Bonnier Launches Titles Through Pulse

Bonnier Launches 20 Titles Through Pulse: After a six-month trial run between Popular Science and content aggregation app Pulse scored a subscriber bonanza, Bonnier has decided to launch 19 more titles through it.  

Cuts for Quad/Graphics CEO

Reduced Bonuses Lead to Compensation Cut for Quad/Graphics CEO Quadracci: Smaller cash bonus payouts contributed to a drop in overall compensation for Quad/Graphics Inc. chairman, president and CEO Joel Quadracci, according to a new federal regulatory filing. Quadracci’s overall compensation dipped about 25 percent to about $4.2 million in 2011.

CEO Confidence Increases

CEO Confidence Increases: The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence, which had improved in the fourth quarter, increased further in the first quarter of 2012. The Measure now reads 63, up from 49 last quarter (a reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses).

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Verso Raises Coated & Supercalendered Price


Verso Paper, plans to increase the price of its coated freesheet, coated mechanical and supercalendered papers by $30-60/ton (on all grades, basis weights and finishes), effective May 1.

Fibrek Files for Expedited Process

Fibrek Inc. announced today that it has filed a motion with the Supreme Court of Canada seeking permission for an expedited process to hear both an application for leave to appeal and the appeal itself, if leave is granted, of the Québec Court of Appeal's decision to maintain the cease trade order of the proposed private placement of 32,320,000 special warrants to purchase common shares of Fibrek to Mercer International Inc.

NewPage Names Specialty Papers Managers


NewPage Corporation has promoted three individuals to new management positions in its specialty papers business.
Dawn Soucek has been promoted to Business Innovation Manager for NewPage specialty papers.
Sandra Trzebiatowski has been named Commercial Manager, Specialty. Audra Franz has been promoted to NewPage Stevens Point Mill Controller.

LA City Council Committee Bans Plastic & Paper Bags


The Los Angeles City Council's Energy and Environment Committee today voted to advance an ordinance banning all paper and plastic retail bags in the City of Los Angeles over the course of a year, a move that ironically pushes consumers toward more resource-intensive alternatives.
Mark Daniels, of Hilex Poly, said:
"The proposed policy will have no real impact on litter, instead it will only force residents to purchase less environmentally-friendly alternatives like reusable bags, nearly all of which are not recyclable, are less sanitary, are made in China using foreign oil, and often contain heavy metals."

Ripon Printers Buys Sells Printing


Ripon Printers, a leading printer of catalogs, publications, manuals, and soft-cover educational products, acquired certain business interests and assets of the Sells Printing Co. LLC on March 27, 2012. The combined annual sales of the two companies total approximately $55 million.

Online Retailers Still Waiting for Congress

Online sales tax still tops the agenda for major retailers: Laws have already been enacted in California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, North Carolina, Arkansas and Rhode Island and legislation is being proposed in Florida, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan and other states. Scott Stanzel, Amazon's head of corporate communications says the company wants Congress to act as quickly as possible “to provide businesses with predictability and consistency.”

February Commercial Printing Shipments

February US Commercial Printing Shipments Flat with 2011 (Economics & Research Center):
February 2012 printing shipments were reported by the Commerce Department as flat with 2011, at $6.358 billion in current US dollars.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Verso Completes Tender Offer


http://www.paperage.com/2012news/04_04_2012verso_paper_tender_offer.html
Verso Paper Corp. announced today the completion of the tender offer (the “Tender Offer”) of two of its subsidiaries, Verso Paper Holdings LLC and Verso Paper Inc. (together, the "Issuers") to purchase any and all of the Issuers’ outstanding 11.5% senior secured notes due 2014 (the "Notes").

Catalyst Faces $73.5 Million Shortfall

Catalyst Paper has a $73.5 million deficit in their pension plan:
Catalyst Paper has a $73.5 million shortfall in its pension plan.
Currently, the principal creditors of Catalyst Paper have until April 23 to agree on a restructuring plan. If they can not agree to a restructuring plan, Catalyst Paper will accept an already-negotiated “stalking horse bid” from its secured bondholders to buy the company.

Focus Direct Closing Plant


Direct-mail company Focus Direct, part of Market Partners, is closing its San Antonio production facility. Work is being diverted to larger facilities in Iowa and Virginia.

Next Issue Media's New Plan

Next Issue Media Launches Unlimited Digital Mag Access Plan: Next Issue Media has rolled out a new digital newsstand subscription plan and app for tablet magazines that allows customers to pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited access to a collection of, so far, 32 titles from 5 publishers, including Time and Hearst.


Heidelberg Expands Print Offerings

Heidelberg Expands Grand-Format and Cut-Sheet Digital Printing Offerings: Print media service providers today face a dynamic and challenging market characterized by shorter run lengths and customer demand for high-quality, flexible, low-cost solutions.

Publishers' Pinterest Interest

Pinterest: This online pin board is attracting serious attention among publishers as a significant source of traffic and “the next big thing” in social media.