August NA Coated Shipments Fall

The Pulp and Products Council reported August North American coated mechanical paper shipments fell -5.2% as compared to the same month last year. Demand declined -4.9% and imports increased +10.7%. The operating rate was 100%. Coated woodfree shipments were down -5.4%, demand decreased -6.6% and imports fell -15.5%. The operating rate was 93%. SC-A/SC-A+ shipments declined -14.8%, demand was down -12.3% and imports decreased -7.7%. The operating rate for all Supercalendered paper was 103%.

Pacific West: Port Hawk. Deal Still On Track

Pacific West held a status call this morning to reassure interested parties that the company was on track, despite recent setbacks, to close the deal on the Port Hawkesbury mill and to restart the 400,000 tpy Supercalendered paper machine. The closing is scheduled for 9/28 and they expect to start making paper two days later. They will begin manufacturing 35# SC-B, for which they have orders, and are looking actively looking for additional business.
http://www.energy-business-review.com/news/ns-power-solicits-interest-from-biomass-suppliers-for-its-port-hawkesbury-plant-210912 

Nova Scotia Power sought an expression of interest from bidders to supply biomass and related services for its under construction plant at Port Hawkesbury in UK.
The company is looking for 500,000t of biomass fuel for its 60MW biomass plant, expected to be operational in 2013.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/99328--revamped-deal-for-shuttered-cape-breton-paper-mill-not-in-danger-says-minister

A provincial funding package considered vital to resume operations at the NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill is not in danger of unravelling despite delays in announcing details of the deal, Nova Scotia's natural resources minister said Thursday.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/138022-ns-downplays-mill-aid-s-effect 
The province isn’t worried that the millions it is investing to support the sale of the NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill may trigger American trade reprisals.

“The province has done its due diligence and feels it’s a defensible position, and is on solid ground,” government spokesman Lucas Wide said Thursday.

Strike at UPM's Stracel Mill

Employees have downed tools at UPM's Stracel mill in northeastern France. Production was stopped on Wednesday morning and the unions have yet to decide when it will end.

A UPM spokesperson said the strike has no impact on deliveries to customers, as the company can use paper from other mills.

UPM has been trying to find a buyer for the Stracel mill, which houses one PM capable of manufacturing some 280,000 tonnes/yr of lightweight coated and machine-finished coated paper, since more than a year.

USPS: Need Comprehensive Legislation

USPS Stresses Comprehensive Legislation Key to Future: Postal Service focuses on innovation to create growth opportunitiesIn his annual state of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe today emphasized that the Postal Service has a solid business plan to return to long-term financial stability and that nothing will have a bigger impact on the health and future of the mailing industry than resolving legislative issues.

PIA Unveils Monthly Industry Conditions Dashboard

PIA Unveils New Monthly Industry Conditions Dashboard: As a new exclusive service to members, Printing Industries of America has developed a monthly industry conditions dashboard. The Monthly Print Market Dashboard allows members of the association to assess current market conditions in their local market areas and nationally on an ongoing basis each month.

Meredith’s Guarantee Program's First Year

Meredith’s Sales Guarantee Program Nearing One Year: As Meredith’s Sales Guarantee Program is coming up on its first year in the market, EVP and president of sales Dick Porter is pleased with the way the initiative has worked to this point.

Disney Is Top Media Co. In Profits

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/183540/disney-is-tops-in-profits-news-corp-drops.html?print 
Walt Disney Co. continues to have the biggest quarterly profits of any media company, while longtime No. 2 News Corp. recently dropped -- substantially -- according to new analysis.
Media research SNL Kagan says Disney retains its top spot with $2 billion net profits in the second quarter of 2012, a 22% gain over the period in 2011. The new No. 2 is Thomson Reuters, which pulled in $935 million, a 63% gain.

Scholastic Reports FY 2013 Q1 Results

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/20/4837517/scholastic-reports-fiscal-2013.html

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education and media company, today reported results for the fiscal 2013 first quarter ended August 31, 2012. 
Revenue in the fiscal 2013 first quarter was $293.6 million, compared to $318.0 million in the prior year period.  The net loss per share from continuing operations was $1.02, compared to $0.81 in the prior year period, which included one-time expenses of $0.04.  Scholastic typically records a loss in its fiscal first quarter, when most U.S. schools are not in session and its School Book Clubs and Fairs generate minimal revenue.

Maxim Lowers Rate Base, Editions

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/maxim-reduces-rate-base-frequency-2013-143873

Maxim magazine, the lone survivor of Alpha Media’s laddie mag boom-and-bust (Stuff and Blender folded in 2007 and 2009, respectively), is shrinking its rate base, continuing a trend among big-circulation magazines like Playboy [1], Reader's Digest [2] and Newsweek.
The magazine’s media kit [3] lists the 2013 rate base at 2 million—a 20 percent decrease from its current rate base of 2.5 million. Maxim also is combining its December and January magazines for a total of 10 issues, down from 11 this year.

"Lucky" Launches New Title

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/lucky-publishes-sip-lucky-style-guide-143860#1

Lucky, which has existed to tell stylistas what to buy, will now attempt to tell them what to do with their fashion finds with its first special-interest publication, The Ultimate Style Guide.
The newsstand-only magazine will go on sale from Sept. 21 through Dec. 31.

Top Publishers Ally with SFI

Top Publishers Ally with SFI (Going Green):
Time Inc., the National Geographic Society, Macmillan, and Pearson—have teamed up with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) to hopefully spur interest in chain of custody certification for wood products—in this case, paper.