Darden Media Group Buys Maxim

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/darden-media-group-buys-maxim-alpha-media-group#.UjM8hbyYyKw

Alpha Media Group has found a buyer for Maxim. Darden Media Group agreed to buy the whole brand portfolio, which includes the magazine, its 15 international editions, events and digital products.
Alpha announced its intention to sell Maxim back in March. Terms of the deal were not released and it's expected to close in the third or fourth quarter this year.
Darden Media Group was formed this year by Calvin Darden, a former senior vice president and board member of United Parcel Service. He's also chairman and CEO of real estate development company Darden Development Group.

Ad Expenditures Increased 3.5% in Q2 2013

http://printinthemix.com/Fastfacts/Show/771

Total U.S. advertising expenditures the 2nd quarter of 2013 increased 3.5 percent from a year ago and finished the period at $35.8 billion, according to the latest data from Kantar Media, a provider of strategic advertising and marketing information. Total spending for the first six months of the year grew 2.0% to $68.9 billion.

PRINT 

Consumer Magazines registered an expenditure increase of 1.9% as calculated by rate card prices but this was tempered by a 2.1% reduction in the number of ad pages sold.

Sunday Magazines had a similar pattern with expenditures up 4.1%, but ad pages down 6.3%.
Newspaper media continued to lose ground in the quarter. Local Newspaper ad spending declined 4.3% on weakening budgets from auto dealers, financial services and retailers. Consumer Magazines figures based on print editions only.
National Newspapers were down 0.5%. Newspaper media spend figures based on print editions only.

CMOs, Trouble Proving Impact of Social Media

http://printinthemix.com/Fastfacts/Show/772

In a recent survey of chief marketing officers (CMOs), Duke University's Fuqua School of Business finds organizations are increasingly allocating resources to social media marketing, but the majority hasn’t been able to show the impact of social media on their business.
According to The CMO Survey:  

Just 15% of B2B and B2C respondents have proven the quantitative impact of their social media marketing expenditures. 

Another 36% say they have a good sense of the qualitative impact, but not the quantitative impact.

Almost half of the CMOs surveyed (49%) have not been able to show that their company's social media activities have made a difference.

Stora Enso/Arauco Delays JV Pulp Mill Start

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/09_12_2013stora_enso_arauco_pulp_mill_uruguay.html

Stora Enso said that its 50/50 joint-venture pulp mill project with Arauco — Montes del Plata at Punta Pereira, in the department of Colonia, Uruguay — which was scheduled to begin the start-up process at the end of September, is experiencing a delay."The mill site is 92% complete and the commissioning of certain areas has already begun. However, the main technology contractors have informed Montes del Plata that they will not be able to complete the work according to the agreed timetable," Stora Enso said.

D&B Names CEO & More People on the Move

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/bob-carrigan-named-ceo-dun-bradstreet#.UjIkHLyYyKw
Dun & Bradstreet Corp., the business data and marketing and risk management services provider, has selected Bob Carrigan as its new president, CEO and director. The appointment comes a month after Carrigan announced he was stepping down as CEO of IDG Communications Worldwide.
http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296
New Newsweek owner IBT Media has hired Jim Impoco as its new editor-in-chief. Impoco was enterprise editor and executive editor at Thomas Reuters Digital (and previously worked at Conde Nast Portfolio, NY Times and Fortune).
Bloomberg
http://adage.com/article/media/tina-brown-leaving-daily-beast/244105/
Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp and Daily Beast Editor in Chief Tina Brown will not renew her contract after it expires in January and plan to part ways, people familiar with the matter confirmedon Wednesday. The news was first reported by BuzzFeed.
Ms. Brown plans to start her own company, Tina Brown Live Media, once she leaves The Daily Beast, one of the people said.      
http://www.foliomag.com/2013/people-move-9-12-13#.UjIj57yYyKw
Folio: People on the Move
Town&Country announced two new hires: Jennifer Orr as executive director, integrated marketing, and Marisa Stubin as executive fashion director, advertising. Orr was promoted to the full-time post after recently joining the publication as a marketing consultant. Stubin leaves Glamour where she served as American fashion and retail director.

Sandow added two new positions to its executive team, on-boarding Erica Holborn as chief strategy officer and Timothy J. Kelliher as executive vice president, Sales. Holborn spent 16 years working up the ranks at TrialGraphix and has been president and CEO since 2002. Previous to the hiring, Kelliher spent five years at Williams Lea as senior vice president. And more...

Cenveo Acquisition of National Envelope Approved

http://whattheythink.com/news/65356-national-envelope-gains-court-approval-sale-cenveo/

National Envelope (“National” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved the sale of the Company’s assets in a court hearing this afternoon.  In conjunction with Hilco Receivables (acquiring substantially all the accounts receivable) and Southern Paper (purchasing the inventory) Cenveo has acquired substantially all of the assets of National Envelope.  The parties expect the sale to formally close on Monday, September 16^th, 2013.

Interview with Forbes Media CRO

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/online-advertising-post-banner-ad-world#.UjIipLyYyKw

The changing banner ad market has brought about the rise of a new breed of digital advertising. Here, Mark Howard, chief revenue officer at Forbes Media and speaker at FOLIO:’s MediaNext event, October 28 to 30 in New York, talks about native advertising solutions, building audience engagement and leveraging sponsorships into direct sales.

Transcontinental Reports Q3 Results

http://www.piworld.com/article/transcontinentals-adjusted-operating-income-increases-for-4th-consecutive-quarter/1
Transcontinental's third-quarter revenues decreased from $517.0 million in 2012 to $493.8 million in 2013, mainly due to the end of the contract to print and distribute Zellers flyers after its store closures. Other factors were the change in the format and type of paper used by some of its major customers, difficult market conditions affecting its magazine, book and catalogue printing business, and a soft advertising market which continued to impact its Media Sector, particularly with respect to local markets. The decrease was partially offset by new printing contracts, higher volume in educational book publishing and the acquisitions of Modulo and Redux Media, among others.

New Time CEO's Meets with Top Exec.s

http://adage.com/article/media/time-s-executive-suite-ideas-die/244111/
New Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp told roughly 300 employees at a town hall-style meeting Wednesday that the company's executive suite has been a place "where ideas go to die," according to staffers who were present. 
"If I have my way I'm going to close that damn thing down," Mr. Ripp said, addressing an audience of managers and executives. 
The company, the publisher of magazines such as People and Sports Illustrated, is keenly looking to
Mr. Ripp for clues to its uncertain future. Parent company Time Warner plans to spin Time Inc. off into an independent company early next year, and Mr. Ripp last week became the third Time Inc. CEO in three years.
http://www.adweek.com/news/press/ripp-rallies-time-inc-troops-first-management-meeting-152376
'We're not a magazine company, we're a media company' By Lucia Moses
Incoming Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp rallied the troops at his first meeting for top execs, saying they need to be empowered and work efficiently for the company to succeed once it spins off from Time Warner.

“We can’t really consider ourselves a magazine company anymore,” he said at the quarterly management meeting, according to people present. “We’re a media company. If you’re People magazine, your competition is Facebook, Twitter.”

There were no big announcements, but Ripp fielded questions from Fortune managing editor Andy Serwer, then the audience, on a range of topics from acquisitions, compensation and church-state issues.

IP Closing Courtland, AL Mill, 950,000 Tons UFS, CFS

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/09_11_2013international_paper_courtland_mill_closure.html

International Paper today announced plans to permanently close its Courtland, Alabama Mill, a facility that is part of the company's Printing and Communications Papers Business.

About 1,100 employees will be impacted by the closure.
IP said the mill will shut down in stages with a full closure expected to be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2014.
The mill closure will reduce IP's North American uncoated and coated freesheet paper production capacity by 950,000 tons, of which 765,000 is uncoated freesheet.
"These decisions are especially difficult because of the impact to long-serving and hard-working employees, their families and the surrounding communities," said International Paper Chairman and CEO, John Faraci. "This decision to permanently close capacity is primarily being driven by demand decline for uncoated freesheet paper products in the United States."
The Courtland Mill produces papers for forms, envelopes, labels, copiers, printers and magazines.
The demand for uncoated freesheet in North America has been in decline since 1999 and has recently accelerated as consumers continue to switch to electronic alternatives such as online publications and electronic billing and filing, IP noted. 

International Paper's Printing and Communications Papers Business will consist of four paper mills focused on uncoated freesheet, bristols and specialty papers markets:

Two uncoated freesheet paper mills, Eastover, South Carolina and Riverdale, Alabama.
Two specialty paper mills, Georgetown, South Carolina and Ticonderoga, New York.

IP Announces $1.5 Billion Share Repurchase Program

http://whattheythink.com/news/65334-international-paper-announces-15-billion-share-repurchase-program/

International Paper today announced its board of directors has authorized a share repurchase program to acquire up to $1.5 billion of the company's common stock. The company intends to repurchase such shares over the next 2-3 years in open market repurchase transactions.  Also today, the company announced its board of directors is raising the company's quarterly dividend by 17%.

"The authorization of this repurchase program and the dividend increase reflect our continued confidence in International Paper's long-term profitability and sustainable free cash flow generation," said John Faraci, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.   "International Paper continues to be committed to a balanced use of cash in a way that maximizes value to our shareowners."

Argentina ‘Inflexible’ on Uruguayan Pulp Mill Expansion

http://en.mercopress.com/2013/09/10/argentina-inflexible-on-uruguayan-pulp-mill-expansion-cristina-and-mujica-could-meet-in-new-york

Argentina promised to be ‘inflexible” with the UPM pulp mill on Uruguayan territory, if it tries to increase production as it has requested, thus again opening a new controversy with Uruguay which has pledged to answer the (2011) expansion request in the last week of September. Presidents Cristina Fernandez and Jose Mujica are scheduled to meet in Buenos Aires at the end of the month.

and Governor Uribarri on the campaign trail
UPM mill already produces 1.1 million tons of dry pulp a year.
He added that Argentina wants UPM to invest in ‘diminishing pollution’ (yet to be proved) and “we have presented innumerable evidence that the river has been affected by the construction of the mill”
said the Argentine minister.
Timerman said that the situation created by UPM to increase pulp production in 200.000 tons per year “it not a problem between Uruguay and Argentina; what really is going on is that the company wants to put pressure on both governments, make us squabble, to increase profits with no further investments or caring for the environment to which it is obliged”.
According to Argentina UPM is already producing above the allowed limit (one million tons dry per annum) established in the International Court ruling in 2010, which decided on the case presented by Argentina with strong support from Entre Rios and Gualeguaychú.

Mailers in Talks with Postal Unions

http://www.dmnews.com/mailers-in-talks-with-postal-unions-to-forestall-rate-increase/article/311184/

During their conference call last week, members of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors brought up the issue of an exigent rate increase, but chose to table it until their meeting in Kansas City on September 24-25. It was a small, but important, victory for the Affordable Mail Alliance (AMA), which had sent a letter to the Board asking it to consider the effect a rate hike might have on 8 million private sector jobs and annual related revenues of $1.3 trillion.
“The governors gave us two weeks to see if mailers and postal employees could rally to push for postal reform,” says Jerry Cerasale, SVP of government affairs at the Direct Marketing Association, a member of the AMA. “So we have been talking with all four unions and we hope that, if they see some movement in the right direction, the governors will ask for an increase based on the Consumer Price Index and not file for an exigent increase.”