EURO-GRAPH Reports Oct. Numbers

http://www.euro-graph.org/statistics-7383.html

EURO-GRAPH has reported October European Graphic paper shipments rose +2.4% as compared to the same month last year. Exports increased +5.5% and demand was up +0.9%.

Sappi Cloquet: Union Votes to Authorize Strike

http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S2848649.shtml?cat=10335

Sappi Fine Paper North America has learned that, in a vote yesterday, the Cloquet Mill employees represented by the United Steelworkers (USW) have authorized their leadership to call a strike if it chooses to do so. "Even though such a vote is not uncommon, and does not mean a strike will occur, we are very disappointed in the membership's action, given our fair and competitive contract package," said Rick Dwyer, Managing Director, Cloquet, Sappi Fine Paper North America.

Catalyst Paper Names Bidder for Snowflake

Catalyst Paper identifies the bidder for its Snowflake mill assets in Arizona.:
Catalyst Paper has accepted a qualified stalking horse bid from MLR Ventures, LLC  as part of the sales process for disposition of the Snowflake facility and Apache Railway.
“We have received a $12.0 million Stalking Horse bid for the assets and land associated with the Snowflake facility and the equity of Apache Railway,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin J. Clarke. “We look forward to beginning the next phase of the sale process and to identifying a qualified buyer in the near term.”

AbitibiBowater Mill Project Dead

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/11/23/nl-abitibi-mill-pellet-plan-1126.html

A proposal to make pellets at the former AbitibiBowater mill in Grand Falls-Windsor is dead, CBC News has learned.
In May, Natural Resources Minister Jerome Kennedy confirmed that a company was interested in setting up shop at the former mill site.
But the company involved, York Energy, now says the government abruptly cancelled the negotiations and has killed the deal.

Resolute Estimates Fort Frances Idling Costs

Resolute Forest Products’ costs for indefinitely idling kraft mill and paper machine in Fort Frances:
Resolute Forest Products estimates the company will incur a charge of approximately $12 million for severance and other termination benefits, and $5 million in other closure costs resulting from the indefinite idling of the kraft mill and one paper machine in Fort Frances, Ontario.
Total future cash expenditures associated with these items are expected to be approximately $14 million.
Resolute Forest Products also expects to incur approximately $32 million of non-cash asset impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of the assets to their estimated fair value.

NS to Spend $6.3 million to Increase Crown Land

Nova Scotia plans to spend $6.3 million to increase Crown land base:
Nova Scotia is setting aside $6.3 million in its 2013-2014 budget to increase the province’s Crown land base.
Lands purchased will be used to increase coastal access, protect Mi’kmaq values, enhance wildlife conservation, and help the province meet its 12% land protection goal. The $6.3 million dollar investment includes $800 thousand from the Forestry Transition Land Acquisition Program.

Magazine Digital Readership Up 47%

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/digital-only-magazine-readership-nearly-50-percent-145490

Magazines’ newsstand sales may be struggling, but there’s a bright spot when it comes to digital readership. Today, GfK MRI released its fall 2012 Survey of the American Consumer, which tracks print and digital magazine readership, and found that magazine readership had increased by 1.6 percent (or nearly 20 million people) to 1.2 billion people since last spring. That was helped by a significant bump in digital consumption: Readership of magazines' digital editions jumped 47 percent, or 4.4 million people, to more than 13.5 million.

Time Launches Digital Video Unit

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/time-inc-launches-digital-video-unit-145480

More changes are afoot at Time Inc. following the reshuffling CEO Laura Lang kicked off last summer. Today, in a company-wide memo, Lang announced the launch of a new digital video unit, a recognition that the company's brands need to tap new, potentially lucrative sources of revenue as their traditional print business continues to decline. 
To manage the unit, Lang brought in J.R. McCabe, who was vp, chief video officer at Meredith Corporation.

90% of Doctors Read Journals in Print

http://www.mmm-online.com/print-still-not-dead/article/269366/?DCMP=EMC-MMM_WeeklyDigest&spMailingID=5146624&spUserID=MjMyNDE2NDYwNgS2&spJobID=58987318&spReportId=NTg5ODczMTgS1 
Kantar Media found that even though younger doctors are more inclined to seek out digital journals that they still have an appreciation for the print edition of the current journal, much like their older colleagues. According to Kantar, the digital divide shakes out as follows: 90% of doctors read print journals and 40% rely on print and digital. In terms of single channel readership, Kantar said 50% of doctors were print-only and just 8% never let their fingers touch ink, relying solely on digital editions.

Buffet Still Bullish on Newspapers

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/buffett-says-he-remains-bullish-on-newspapers-despite-closing-one/

Warren E. Buffett isn't letting one troubled newspaper color his view of buying what many media experts consider the dinosaurs of the news business. Mr. Buffett said he still planned to buy newspapers, even though he recently announced that he would be shutting down one that he recently bought by the end of the year.
Mr. Buffett went on a newspaper spending spree this year by buying more than 60 newspapers from Media General and a small stake in the newspaper company Lee Enterprises, a chain of mostly small dailies based in Iowa. At the time, he stressed that he had great confidence that newspapers would continue to be solid investments for decades to come.

Simon & Schuster Launching Archway Publishing

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/simon-schuster-to-launch-self-publishing-service-powered-by-author-solutions-archway-publishing/

Simon & Schuster is joining Penguin and other full-service publishers in entering into the self-publishing business. In partnership with Author Solutions (now owned by Penguin), the company is launching Archway Publishing, “a new self-publishing service with a focus on fiction, nonfiction, business and children’s categories,” according to a statement.