PPPC: 2012 NA Newsprint Demand Fell -1.2%

Total North American newsprint demand posted a 4.4% reduction in December, according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council. Demand from the region's largest users of newsprint -- US daily newspapers - was down 4.0%, while demand by other end users fell 5.7%.

Total demand for the full year declined only 1.2%, as the dailies' 5.8% demand drop in 2012 was largely offset by a 20.4% increase in demand from other end users.
North American newsprint shipments mirrored total demand, with volumes declining 4.4% in December and 1.0% for 2012 as a whole. Offshore exports declined 14.6% in December and 24.2% in 2012.
Newsprint mill operating rates were 89% in December and 92% for 2012 on a shipments-to-capacity basis, compared with 92% and 93% respectively for comparable periods last year.

AF&PA Reports December Kraft Paper Shipments

American Forest & Paper Association Releases December 2012 Kraft Paper Sector Report: The American Forest & Paper Association released its December 2012 Kraft Paper Report on Friday, Jan. 18.
Total Kraft paper shipments were 118 thousand tons, a decrease of 12 percent compared to the prior month. While bleached Kraft paper shipments increased year-over-year 22 percent, the 17 percent year-over-year decline in shipments of the larger segment - unbleached Kraft paper - was significant enough to bring overall Kraft paper shipments down compared to 2011. Total month-end inventory increased 13 percent to 85.7 thousand tons this month compared to November 2012 month-end inventories.

AF&PA Releases December Containerboard Numbers

American Forest & Paper Association Releases December 2012 Containerboard Statistics Report: s Release/Editorial) WASHINGTON, USA, Jan 22, 2013 - The American Forest & Paper Association released its December 2012 U. S. Containerboard Statistics Report on Thursday, Jan. 17.
Containerboard production grew 1.5 percent over November 2012 and 2.3 percent over the same month last year. However, the month-over-month average daily production decreased 1.8 percent. The containerboard operating rate for December 2012 lost 1.7 points over November 2012, from 96.9 percent to 95.2 percent.

AF&PA Reports December Paperboard Statistics

American Forest & Paper Association Releases December 2012 Paperboard Statistics Report: he American Forest & Paper Association released its December 2012 U.S. Paperboard Report on Thursday, Jan. 17.
Total boxboard production increased by 6.4 percent compared to December 2011 but decreased 0.4 percent from last month. Unbleached Kraft Boxboard production increased over the same month last year and increased compared to last month. Total Solid Bleached Boxboard & Liner production increased compared to December 2011 and increased compared to last month. The production of Recycled Boxboard increased compared to December 2011 but decreased when compared to last month.

Accident at Resolute's Catawba Mill

http://www.wbtv.com/story/20645214/one-person-dead-in-york-county-paper-plant-accident

One contractor is dead and two are injured as the result of an accident at Resolute Forest Products' paper mill in Catawba, SC, after chemical leak

The accident happened around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. County emergency management director Cotton Howell told WBTV that three contractors were doing maintenance on an old decommissioned tank outside the main production area.

Conference Board, Canada: China Central Cause of Changes in Trade

http://www.conferenceboard.ca/

The "lost decade" of essentially no growth in Canadian exports is due less to the strong dollar and more to the rise of China and other emerging economies. A Conference Board of Canada report for the Global Commerce Centre explains how Canada's trade has shifted this "two-gear" trade model in which the United States is relatively less important and emerging markets offer the greatest opportunity for growth.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Canadian-U.S. trade relationship is waning in importance, while emerging markets, particularly China, are becoming increasingly important.
Our trade strengths are shifting away from some manufactured products toward professional services and products related to our natural resource wealth.
The strong loonie alone does not explain this trend.

Since the dawn of the 2000s, what Canada trades has changed. A decade ago, five key products -transportation equipment, pulp and paper, electronic products, plastics and wood products - accounted for almost half of Canadian exports. Today, the top five consists of oil and gas, mineral products, chemicals, primary metals and food products. Other areas of trade strength in recent years include professional and financial services.

The emergence of China on the world stage has led to a realignment of North American trading patterns.

Japan's Paper & Board Shipments Expected to Fall

http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=ind&k=2013012100591

Paper and paperboard shipments in Japan in 2013 are expected to fall 1.5 pct from the previous year to 27,358,000 tons, down for the third consecutive year, the Japan Paper Association said Monday. 
The expected decline is chiefly due to sluggish shipments of mainstay printing paper amid the wider use of e-mail and the Internet.

Sun Chemical Sustainability Report: Footprint of Supplliers

Newest Sun Chemical Sustainability Report Highlights the Environmental Footprint of its Suppliers: Sun Chemical released its 2012 Sustainability Report, which showcases Sun Chemical’s leadership in eco-efficiency through established data-driven metrics, as well as examples of how raw material suppliers are contributing to the company’s environmental footprint.

Vertis Closing Dallas Facility

Vertis Communications to close Dallas facility, lay off 27:
Vertis Communications, a Baltimore-based supplier of direct marketing services and advertising inserts, is closing a Dallas facility and laying off 27 people, according to a company letter to the Texas Workforce Commissio.

Vogue Still First in Ads

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/vogue-holds-top-spot-march-146728

Among the highly scrutinized March fashion magazines, Condé Nast's Vogue is holding on to its usual first place, with 457 ad pages, up 4.5 percent from 2012. Archrival Time Inc.'s InStyle weighed in with 361 pages, a 4 percent increase over last year's. Over at Hearst, Elle, as previously reported, came in third at 338 pages, up 6 percent.

Geiger (Farmers’ Almanac) Divesting Print/Manufacturing Business

Farmers’ Almanac Maker to Lay Off 75 as it Moves Printing from Lewiston: Geiger, the producer of the Farmers’ Almanac, as well as pocket diaries and calendars, is divesting itself of its printing and manufacturing business after 135 years. The company’s decision, one influenced by by changes in peoples’ behavior wrought by technology, will lead to 75 people losing their jobs, Peter Geiger, the company’s executive vice president and editor of the Farmers’ Almanac, told the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday evening.

Is Digital the Solution for Titles Failing in Print?

All Good Print Magazines Go to Digital Heaven…Or Do They?:
When a publication decides its earthly existence as a print life form is no longer a viable option and instead takes on a digital-only presence, is it really a heaven-sent opportunity or is it actually a gentle nudge by the minions of magazine hell to push it into its final resting place? If your print product isn’t connecting with an audience, is it really going to flourish among a billion more nondescript URLs or a million other apps?

Growth Expected in Media Market Competition

Media Market Competition, Growth Expected to Increase in 2013:
Media industry executives are optimistic about the coming year, specifically in the areas of product development, acquisitions and competition, new research reports from the Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI) and AdMedia Partners show. 

Study: Poor Data Plagues Marketers

Study: Poor data quality plagues customer experience: While marketers acknowledge that data quality affects the customer experience, companies lack accurate information to improve things, according to a new report from data management company Experian QAS.

KPMG: M&A Expected to Increase

KPMG Survey: Mergers And Acquisitions Projected To Be On The Rise In 2013: Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is expected to increase in 2013, according to a survey conducted by KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, and the Research practice unit of SourceMedia, the publisher of Mergers & Acquisitions.  The survey of more than 300 M&A professionals in the U.S. found that 76 percent of respondents anticipate that their company will make at least one acquisition in 2013.

Marketers Interested in Mobile, Question Measuring ROI

Study: Marketers Interested in Mobile; Measurement/ROI Remains a Barrier: An ANA study view mobile marketing as a way to build brand and awareness yet remain concerned about metrics and ROI.
The most noted barrier to the development of marketers’ use of mobile is measurement—42% of marketers indicated they are concerned with having proper mobile metrics in place, and another 42% are concerned with an inability to prove ROI.

Americans Still Like Libraries

http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/library-services/

In a new survey of Americans’ attitudes and expectations for public libraries, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project finds that many library patrons are eager to see libraries’ digital services expand, yet also feel that print books remain important in the digital age. 

The availability of free computers and internet access now rivals book lending and reference expertise as a vital service of libraries. In a national survey of Americans ages 16 and older:
80% of Americans say borrowing books is a “very important” service libraries provide.
80% say reference librarians are a “very important” service of libraries.
77% say free access to computers and the internet is a “very important” service of libraries.

Publishers Face Complex Future

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/conferences/article/55532-publishers-focus-on-a-complex-future-at-digital-book-world-2013.html

Former Macmillan president Brian Napack, now a senior advisor at Providence Equity Partners, a private equity firm with $27 billion in assets that specializes in investing in media and education properties, offered a high altitude perspective on a publishing industry in the midst of “structural change.” Interviewed onstage by Publishers Marketplace founder Michael Cader, Napack responded to Cader's description of a publishing landscape dominated by the Random House/Penguin merger, McGraw-Hill’s withdrawal from educational publishing, the closing of Borders and the rise of technology companies as disruptors in the publishing business, emphasizing that “there’s been very little capital in-flow into publishing, the Random House, Penguin deal is all about scale but there’s no cash involved.”

Napack said that the McGraw-Hill deal was about, “unlocking value. It feels like a lot of change is going on but it’s the beginning of the end of change. We’re about to see what publishing looks like in the future...He said the clock is “ticking” for Hachette, “which likely is worried. There are only so many large publishing assets available to acquire,” and said more mergers were likely rather than acquisitions from players “outside” of publishing.
But Napack also emphasized that while the big six may end up as “the big three,” the power of innovation often flourishes in markets during periods of consolidation and new companies can “come from underneath,” and he cited the precarious but interesting market position of Barnes & Noble.

Financial Times Planning Staffing Changes

http://truthdive.com/2013/01/22/Financial-Times-to-cut-down-traditional-print-staff-to-cater-for-digital-shift.html

In a bid to compete with social networking sites and Google, The Financial Times has been planning to cut down staff to shift their traditional print news environment to a more digitally focused networked business. 

Lionel Barber, editor of the newspaper, said the newspaper is planning to appoint 10 new digital staff, and will be cutting down 35 of its existing 600 editorial jobs, The Telegraph reports.

Cenveo Completes Refinancing

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cenveo-completes-refinancing-210000255.html

Cenveo Corporation (the "Company"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cenveo, Inc. (CVO) announced that it obtained a $50 million unsecured term loan due 2017 ("Unsecured Term Loan") from Macquarie Capital. The Company used the proceeds from the Unsecured Term Loan, plus available cash and borrowings under its revolving credit facility to repay the remainder of its 7.875% senior subordinated notes due 2013 plus accrued and unpaid interest.

BusinessBolts: 74% of Small Businesses Use Content Marketing

BusinessBolts survey finds 74% of small businesses use content marketing: Seventy-four percent of small businesses use content marketing to increase traffic and promote their brands, according to a new report from content marketing company BusinessBolts.com.
“Content Marketing Survey Report 2013” was based on an online survey of 265 small-business owners and marketing executives at small businesses conducted in the fourth quarter.