Resolute Downtime Removes Pulp from Market

http://www.resolutefp.com/Products/Commercial_Printing_Papers/

Resolute Forest Products, which was scheduled to shutter its 683,000 tonnes/yr pulp and paper mill in Fort Frances, ON, on Sunday due to sluggish market conditions. Resolute spokesman Seth Kursman told the newspaper the downtime would trim about 6,000 tonnes of pulp and 6,900 tonnes of paper output.
The downtime was to last from Oct. 28 to Nov. 11, a company official told The Fort Frances Times last week.

Trends in Green Packaging

http://blogs.whattheythink.com/going-green/2012/10/survey-says-sustainability-is-top-trend-in-packaging/

A new study conducted by Packaging World and DuPont, 2012 Survey of Packaging Trends, surveyed 500 industry professionals to find out what the driving forces, emerging and longterm trends in packaging are, and, according to 59% of respondents, “cost” is (shocking!) the primary factor driving the industry. That said, via Environmental Leader, “cost would fall 28 percent in terms of importance, below factors like sustainability at 51 percent and food safety and security at 37 percent, in the next 10 years in both Europe and North America.”

Also:

Consumers will put a greater value on recyclability and the perceived “greenness” of packaging in 10 years, the survey found. The public will also increasingly demand proof of sustainability claims, such as lifecycle analysis data.

Sandy’s Big Impact on Magazines

Sandy’s Big Impact on Magazines and the Media: Instead of delivering his keynote address Monday afternoon at MediaNext, Condé Nast president Bob Sauerberg announced his offices would be closed as a result of Hurricane Sandy, which bore down on the East Coast over the weekend and into Tuesday.; and there was more.

Disney To Buy Lucasfilm, Star Wars Franchise

Disney To Buy Lucasfilm And Star Wars Franchise For $4 Billion:
The Walt Disney Company officially announced that it is acquiring Lucasfilm Ltd, including the legendary Star Wars franchise, in a stock and cash transaction valued at $4.05 billion.
In a statement Disney CEO Robert Iger had said, "this transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment of all time, with Diney's unique and unparalleled creativity accross multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value."
The deal denotes that Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm Ltd and its current operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production, plus the company's portfolio.

Condé's Townsend: Print Isn't Dying

Condé's Townsend: The Old Days of Magazine Publishing Are Over:
The notion that print is dying is “naive,” Condé Nast CEO Charles Townsend told an audience Friday at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, though the executive stopped short of saying that print could survive on its own as a standalone entity.
 “The sensibility that print is cratering is just nuts,” Townsend said. “There’s nothing in the way of growing these businesses, but you can’t do it without a really substantial digital presence. It’s really managing a brand as opposed to a magazine.”

Publishers Seek to Connect Print & Mobile

Looking for a Deeper Connection Between Print and Mobile:
Publishers are driving engagement between the print and digital platforms by linking magazines directly to mobile. Standalone mobile products these days are a given, but publishers are also looking for ways to extend the print experience into new areas of a reader’s life, and mobile devices are the gateway.

Men's Magazines Enjoy Big Uptick

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/mens-magazine-smackdown-144853

September was a banner advertising month for women’s fashion glossies, but men’s magazines also had a big uptick, in male apparel and grooming. Publishers are taking advantage by dusting off a couple of shuttered guy-oriented titles. Fairchild recently relaunched men’s fashion title M, and last week, Rodale reintroduced Best Life. Can’t decide which one to pick up at the newsstand? Here’s a preview.

Global Consumer Confidence Slowly Improving

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/186304/study-global-consumers-confidence-remains-cautiou.html

Global marketers should note that global consumers' confidence is still improving -- albeit slowly.
A study from The Cambridge Group, a Nielsen company, says a third-quarter index score of 92 grew one point versus the previous quarter. But this shouldn't be seen as a strong recommendation for the near-term.

Publishers Explore Opportunities for New Titles

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/dr_oz_might_be_the_rx_for_mag_publisher_sg6FghHvhi2pt4JenAExqN

Publishers looking for promising ideas are said to have approached talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz about doing an eponymous magazine. According to the industry grapevine, Rodale, Hearst and Time Inc. are the most likely candidates.

Pivotal Lowers Ad Forecast, Cites Storm

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20121031/ADVERTISING13/310319996/pivotal-research-lowers-ad-forecast-citing-effects-of-sandy

Media research company Pivotal Research Group lowered its U.S. ad forecast to a 0.5% decline in the third quarter, a 1.4% decline in the fourth quarter and zero growth for the full year, citing the effects of massive storm Sandy and other recent variables.

WSJ Still Top in Circulation, USA TODAY #1 in Print

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/media/view/20121030wall_street_journal_remains_no_1_us_newspaper/srvc=home&position=recent

The Wall Street Journal kept its position as the No. 1 newspaper. Its average circulation grew 9.4 percent to 2.3 million.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/19953083/usa-today-remains-number-one-in-total-daily-print-circulation?clienttype=printable

USA TODAY remains number one in total daily print circulation in the United States, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulation report. USA TODAY's daily print circulation was 1,627,526 for the period ending September 30, 2012. Total average daily circulation with digital replica and digital non-replica included was 1,713,833.

Canada’s Book Publishers Look Ahead

Canada’s Book Publishers Are Looking Beyond Mere Survival:
Last week was a painful one for book publishing. On Monday, D&M Publishers in Vancouver filed for bankruptcy protection, laying off staff and leaving authors uncertain about their future as the company attempts a reorganization. It was a terrible blow to the industry, and if D&M does go down, this will do great harm to our culture.
Most reports about the D&M situation mention a number of other Canadian publishers who are no more, thanks to bankruptcies or financial reorganizations...That assertion was alarming for two reasons.
The first reason is that it is not true.
Independent publishing in this country is alive vigorous and vital. There are more than 100 active publisher members of the Association of Canadian Publishers...Our strength lies not in the size or the reach of any one publisher, but in the diversity and breadth of the publishers considered as a whole.
The second reason is more worrying.

Sappi Awards Two U.S. Printers

Two U.S. Printers Recognized in Sappi International Printers of the Year Awards: Sappi Fine Paper North America celebrates two winners from our region for the widely-renowned 2012 Sappi International Printers of the Year Awards; Fry Communication (Mechanicsburg, PA) for its innovative production of Style.com in the magazine-web category, and Continental Colorcraft (Monterey Park, CA) for the execution of the coffee table exhibition catalog, “Eye for the Sensual,” in the books category.

Bertelsmann’s Print Unit: Be Printers

Bertelsmann’s Print Unit to Do Business as Be Printers: The printing division of Bertelsmann SE & Co., which was founded a few months ago, will operate under the name Be Printers from now on. The international media company had merged most of its worldwide print operations into this unit to achieve improved control and focus.