Thursday, May 31, 2012

NewPage Port Hawkesbury Granted Extension

NewPage Port Hawkesbury granted extension:
In court this morning, Justice John Murphy approved another extension to NewPage Port Hawkesbury‘s period of creditor protection.
But the judge expressed concern about possible delays getting the purchase deal with Pacific West Commercial Corp. done by September.
This extension is for 2 more months.
NewPage Port Hawkesbury will return to court on August 1.

AF&PA Reports April Paper & Board Production

http://www.afandpa.org/
US paper and board production in April declined 2.5% vs April 2011 production and was down year-to-date by 1.2%, based on American Forest & Paper Association figures.
The April decline resulted from a 3.2% drop in paper production and 2% fall in paperboard production.
Year-to-date, uncoated mechanical paper production was down 16.2% and coated papers down 5%.
US mills year-to-date ran at an average of 91.2%, in line with the 2011 average.

Catalyst Asks Goverment for Support


 Kevin J. Clarke, president and CEO of Catalyst Paper is asking Victoria and Ottawa for it's support. " Catalyst delivers 7,000 jobs in B.C., and has a $2 billion impact a year." The company is asking the B.C. government to support North Cowichan's efforts to achieve a competitive industrial tax rate, to make available $30 million over five years to support new hiring and high-tech training programs at Catalyst mills. It's asking Victoria for support in ensuring certainty in BC Hydro rates and to eliminate the $8 million per year risk to Catalyst operations and Ottawa to return to Catalyst the $5.5 million each month in HST credits that are normally returned to the company but that are now frozen under CCAA.

Verso Still Assessing Sartell Damage



The future of a paper mill that's one of the main employers and taxpayers in the central Minnesota town of Sartell was unclear Tuesday as firefighters spent a second day trying to extinguish a fire that killed one worker and injured four.
The fire broke out Monday with an explosion in a warehouse at the Verso Paper Corp. mill. The warehouse held nearly 4,000 rolls of paper, each weighing hundreds of pounds. Firefighters Tuesday still were trying to get to the burning rolls at the back of the building.
The building is unstable and structural beams are resting on top of paper rolls, Fire Chief Ken Heim said. "We have a massive challenge ahead of us," Heim said during a news conference.
However, Heim also said he didn't think the rest of the plant was damaged.
The plant is so important to the area that Gov. Mark Dayton visited the site Tuesday.

New York Magazine & Dwell Partner


http://www.foliomag.com/2012/new-york-and-dwell-partner-upcoming-print-publication-event
In a collaboration that will play out in person and in print, New York and Dwell partner to bring design to a greater audience. The partnership aims to expand both Dwell’s and New York’s footprints in the New York City design scene, as well as to aid the American Institute of Architects [AIA] in reaching the consumer market.

Magazine Readership by Young People Actually Up


It’s a fairly common assumption that millennials don’t read print media because they’re all too busy browsing blogs, clicking on Facebook links, and watching YouTube videos to crack open a physical magazine. Well, a new study from Condé Nast says young people's magazine readership is actually the highest it's been in decades. 

Consumer Magazine Readership Declines


http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/175861/magazine-print-readership-declines-digital-grows.html
Consumer magazines’ print readership declined over the last year, but the losses were partly offset by growth in digital readership, according to GfK MRI, which recently released the second wave of its revised Survey of The American Consumer, amended to include more questions about digital reading.
In the period from September 2011-April 2012, the total average print audience of 190 major titles tracked by GfK MRI came to just over 1.2 billion, down 2.7% from 1.24 billion for the same period in 2011. When print and digital editions are considered together, the figure sank 2.6% from just under 1.25 billion to just under 1.22 billion.

Sycamore Partners Buys Talbots


Talbots Inc., a clothing brand known for classically styled apparel for middle-age women, has agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of the private equity firm Sycamore Partners, the two companies said Thursday.
In the press release issued Thursday, the companies said that the current transaction is valued at about $369 million when debt is included. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.

USPS; New Branding Program for Marketers

USPS Launching Mailing Permit Branding Program for Marketers: In response to customer requests, the U.S. Postal Service is announcing the launch of the “Picture Permit Imprint Indicia” program for commercial mailers.
This program provides new advertising opportunities for commercial mail customers by allowing them to use corporate logos, product visuals or other brand images in the permit indicia space on their mail.