Norske Skog to Idle Walsum LWC PM

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/10_04_2013norske_skog_walsum_mill_capacity_reduction.html

Norske Skog said that due to excess capacity in the coated mechanical market, the company will temporarily idle paper machine (PM) 4 at its Walsum mill in Duisburg, Germany, beginning in mid-December.

Norske Skog did not say how long a time it expected the machine to be down for.

PM 4 has an annual capacity of 225,000 tons.

The Walsum mill's second paper machine, PM 10, will continue to produce LWC (Light Weighted Coated) magazine paper at an annual capacity of 200,000 tons.

"The temporary idling of capacity at the Walsum mill in Germany is required to both create a better balance between demand and supply, and to avoid unprofitable production at Walsum," said Mr Sven Ombudstvedt, CEO and President of Norske Skog. "Despite years of great efforts of the staff to reduce costs, the decision is unfortunately unavoidable."

Norske Skog said that customers will be served from the company's other mills and paper machines, and all existing supply commitments will be honored.

Resolute Cuts Jobs at Augusta Mill

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/business/local-business/2013-10-01/augusta-newsprint-mill-will-cut-21-jobs

An Augusta newsprint mill will eliminate 21 positions as it simultaneously builds a replacement woodyard on site.

The decision to trim jobs spanning all operations of the Resolute Forest Products facility was made in August after construction started on a $30 million project to replace an outdated lumber yard on Doug Barnard Parkway and make the mill more viable, said Jay Grantham, the interim mill general manager.

"Our business is extremely competitive," Grantham said. "The newsprint industry is a tough business to be in. We're constantly looking for opportunities to become more efficient and reduce our costs.

RISI: Global P&B Production Slows, Still Record '12 Levels

Despite the continued decline in North America and Europe, global paper and board production still managed to advance at a meager 0.2% pace to reach a new record level of 400 million tonnes in 2012. Positive growth in tissue and packaging grades continued to offset the retreat in global graphic paper production. These and other statistics were published today in the 2013 Annual Review of Global Pulp & Paper Statistics, by RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry.

"For the past four years, China has maintained the top spot for both demand and production of total paper and board, with the US remaining in second place. China accounted for 25% of world demand and 26% of global production of total paper and board in 2012," said Kevin Conley, Senior Economist of World Graphic Paper at RISI.

"In terms of pulp production, the United States remained the top producing country in the world with 50.4 million tonnes in 2012. China came in second producing 18.2 million tonnes," continued Conley.

The 2013 Annual Review of Pulp and Paper Statistics is published annually every September and details demand, production, trade, and consumption statistics by region and country for 175 individual countries. It provides a comprehensive dataset of all key grades of pulp, paper, packaging paper, tissue, and board for the past two consecutive years.

APP Secures Loan for Pulp Mill

http://www.asiapulppaper.com/

APP, through PT. OKI Pulp & Paper Mills (OKI), today completes a US$1.8 billion loan transaction with China Development Bank (CDB) for the development of what will be Indonesia's largest pulp mill.

The transaction, which was witnessed by Indonesian and Chinese Presidents, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Xi Jin Ping , is one of the largest ever single transactions between the two countries. The total investment in the new mill, located in South Sumatra, is $2.6 billion, most of which is funded through the CDB loan, with the remaining $800 million funded by capital raised by the shareholders.

Time Inc. CEO Meets with Rank and File

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/time-inc-ceo-joe-ripp-meets-rank-and-file-152861

New Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp continues to ply his folksy approach, gathering non-senior management for a town hall meeting Wednesday to discuss his vision for the company's future. A Time Inc. source said it was the first time in recent memory that a CEO had spoken directly to the company’s rank and file, which “in and of itself was a huge thing,” he said.

The gathering, which included a Q&A session with employees, was short on news, as Ripp hit on many of the topics he’s been discussing since first taking over as CEO last month. Sources present said that he continued to push for a “brands-first” approach and further decentralization within the company, and reiterated his desire to get rid of unnecessary bureaucracy (including the 34th floor executive suite that’s come to symbolize it).

Reader’s Digest Partners With HMN

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/reader-s-digest-partners-hmn-turns-tv#.Uk8ZnySYyKw

CEO Robert Guth's plan to bring RDA Holding Co. back from insolvency called for a drastic rate base reduction for it's flagship magazine, Reader's Digest. The burden of fulfilling the subscriptions outweighed the advertising benefits; Guth decided to slash the rate base from 5.5 million to 3 million.
The strategy is playing out in medical waiting rooms where Reader's Digest is distributing about half a million free issues this year. They'll deliver none in 2014.

Forbes New Africa Magazines

http://www.bet.com/news/global/2013/10/02/new-forbes-africa-magazines-tap-into-female-audience.html

The pan-African magazines Forbes Women Africa and Forbes Life Africa launched on Oct. 2, provide new platforms to highlight the continent's wealth, opportunities and vitality. 
The first-ever issue of Forbes Women Africa includes a cover story about the life of Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, a South African-based businesswomen, philanthropist and fashion entrepreneur. 
A list of the world's 100 most powerful women and a story on the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women for South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka are also featured.

Law Would Ban Book Discounts on Web

http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296

French lawmakers moved closer to approving a bill aimed at protecting local bookstores against competition from Amazon, the latest step by European governments and regulators to try to rein in what they see as the growing power of a group of largely American tech companies. The bill, approved unanimously by France’s lower house of parliament, would effectively force online booksellers to sell at higher prices than brick-and-mortar stores, by banning any seller from applying government-regulated discounts to the cover prices of books that are shipped to readers. Instead, sellers could only mark down the cost of shipping. The proposed law, which now heads to France’s senate with the backing of both major parties, is explicitly aimed at Amazon, which frequently discounts books and ships them free of charge to French buyers—a deal independent booksellers say amounts to unfair competition.

WSJ

Lot of Life Left in Print Yet

http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296

Raju Narisetti, VP and deputy head of strategy for the new, independent News Corp. publishing business, says there have never been more people consuming journalism, so regardless of format, there is surging appetite for editorial output. Says print isn’t going away anytime soon, because in many cases it remains the cheapest platform for publishers and advertisers alike to reach mass audiences. And that 60-80% of most newspaper publishers’ revenues remain print-based (mostly from weekend editions). 

PR Week

AMI Reaches Debt Deal

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/ami-reaches-deal-reduce-debt#.Ukx76iSYyKw

American Media Inc. (AMI) announced a deal with bondholders that would help the media company save approximately $12 million per year in cash interest payments over the next three years. AMI entered into the exchange agreement with holders of approximately 90 percent of its 13.5 percent second lien notes. Existing second lien notes belonging to those holders will be exchanged for a new series of 10 percent second lien notes with a payment-in-kind feature. AMI will use the $12 million in anticipated savings to repurchase its first lien bonds.

AMI owns and operates various celebrity and active lifestyle print brands including the National Enquirer, Star, Soap Opera Digest and Shape, among others, totaling a combined circulation of more than 7.2 million.

CFO Publishing Releases Tablet Edition

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20131002/MEDIABUSINESS1202/310029999/cfo-publishing-releases-cfo-tablet-edition

CFO Publishing released its CFO Tablet Edition for the iPad, a new app built specifically for Apple's tablet format. Access to the content within the app is free to CFO subscribers. 
CFO tablet users will be offered a first look at original content not yet published in the magazine or online, immediate access to news articles from CFO.com via daily RSS feeds, and vivid graphics and multimedia, the company said in a statement.

Record Growth in Interior Décor Lends Opportunity to PSPs

http://whattheythink.com/articles/65630-interior-decor-experiences-record-growth-smart-psps-seize-opportunity/

In recent years, we have seen explosive growth in the interior décor market with digital décor increasing at a rate of more than 20 percent year-over-year[i]. 
Technology is available to design and then easily print custom wallcoverings on a variety of wallcovering media with great image quality and environmental benefits.  
As powerful and lucrative as this growing segment is, it is critical for print service providers (PSPs) to understand that it is not an opportunity that will seize itself. Though digital décor is growing faster than the traditional sign and display industry, it is still a relatively new market that will require effort and focus to effectively capture business.

Domtar Announces Nov. 1 Increase on Cut Size

http://www.domtar.com/

Domtar moved ahead with a cutsize paper price increase of $60/ton ($3/cwt), a contact said today, that raises all of the firm's business uncoated freesheet (UFS) papers, including Domtar mill brands, private label brands, and the Xerox brand. The increase is effective Nov. 1 in North America.

All standard differentials for support sizes and recycled products apply, according to Domtar.
International Paper also plans a $60/ton increase, effective Oct. 23, for its cutsize office papers, and Glatfelter and Cascades plan $60 increases for their cutsize papers on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, respectively.

The $60 increase for Domtar's cutsize paper follows the company's recent price increase announced on all of its other UFS grades, for $60, effective Oct. 15.

More Mills AnnounceI Increases

American Eagles has announced a price increase of $3.00/cwt, effective with shipments on or after November 1, on the following grades: Eagle Offset, Eagle Envelope, Eagle Kraft Envelope, Eagle Reply Card 7PT, Eagle Select, and Eagle Index.
FutureMark has announced a price increase of $40/ton, effective with shipments on or after November 1, on the following grades: all75, 80 and 85 brightness recycled highbrights, including Future Book UC, Future Mystique and Future Office.
Norpac has announced an increase of $2.00/cwt ($40/ton) for its uncoated groundwood hi-brite papers, effective with shipments on or after Nov. 1.
The increase applies to the company's Norbrite grades including Norbrite 75, Norbrite Plus, Norbrite Offset, Norbrite 92, Norbrite Opaque, Norbrite Cream and Recycled Norbrite Book Cream, as well as book grades.

Sappi Confirms Delisting From NYSE

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130930-908265.html

Following its 9 September 2013 announcement of its intention to delist its American Depositary shares ("ADSs"), which are evidenced by American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), from the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), Sappi Limited ("Sappi" or the "Company") (NYSE: SPP) confirms that the delisting of its ADSs from the NYSE became effective today, as scheduled. This follows the filing by Sappi of a Form 25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on 19 September 2013.

PRC Closed, Mailers Contend With Exigency Threat

http://www.dmnews.com/prc-is-closed-but-mailers-contend-with-exigency-threat/article/314445/

Last week the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) was given 90 days to decide on the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) request for an 4.3% exigent rate increase, but the PRC stands closed today as part of the federal government shutdown. If the shutdown lingers, the PRC's deadline could be extended, but mailers are at work mulling contingencies surrounding the proposed increase.“If the shutdown is temporary, we're assuming that the PRC will try to keep within the original deadline, and if they decide to move forward we'll be quickly able to file some things,” says Jerry Cerasale, SVP of governmental affairs at the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). For now, the DMA is busy crafting a written statement for the PRC's deliberations, but it is also girding for a more severe confrontation down the road.

Pitney Bowes Completes Sale to Apollo

http://whattheythink.com/news/65672-pitney-bowes-completes-sale-management-services-business-apollo-funds-400-million/

Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI) today announced the successful completion of the sale of Pitney Bowes Management Services for $400 million in cash to funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE:APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”). Proceeds from the sale of the business will be used principally to pay down debt. 
Pitney Bowes Management Services becomes a standalone company which will operate under a new name to be determined by Apollo.