Resolute Forest Products comments on Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement:
Resolute Forest Products expressed the company’s disappointment that negotiations under the auspices of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) have broken down after three years of collaborative efforts. Parties were unable to reach mutual agreement on a workable plan to jointly further conservation efforts while balancing environmental, social and economic considerations in the Canadian boreal forest. The CBFA was signed by members of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), including Resolute, and a group of environmental organizations to establish a common framework to further support boreal conservation efforts while safeguarding the livelihood of thousands of citizens in communities that depend on healthy working forests. While it was challenging to find common ground among organizations with such diverse interests, Resolute believes its contributions to CBFA working groups and its overall commitment to sustainable forestry positively impacted the process. Company employees participated in all CBFA activities, offering concrete proposals and committing thousands of work hours to the initiative. Resolute also stepped forward to provide funding and offered significant additional financial support to the process. Over the past several weeks, intense negotiations took place leading up to the third anniversary of the CBFA. Resolute put forward proposals for Northwestern Ontario that endorsed the setting aside of an additional 504,000 acres (204,000 hectares) of forest for conservation, providing additional protection of caribou and other species. This commitment is on top of the approximately 4,942,000 acres (2,000,000 hectares) of Ontario forests that have already been established as protected spaces, parks and other initiatives over the past 15 years. In Quebec, Resolute put forward additional candidates for protected areas to move up the total percentage to 12%, equivalent to 1,710,000 acres (692,000 hectares), focusing primarily on best habitats for caribou conservation. The company also specifically addressed concerns related to the Montagnes Blanches and the Broadback Valley. The Resolute proposals were made with full knowledge that further curtailment of the company’s fiber supply is likely in the near future due to revisions of the annual allowable cut by Quebec’s Chief Forester, and by the implementation of a government endorsed caribou conservation plan. “It is unfortunate the CBFA signatories were ultimately unable to reach alignment on how to strike a balance among environmental, social and economic priorities – the three pillars of sustainability,” stated Richard Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Flambeau Completes New Headbox Installation
Flambeau River Paper completes $2 million new headbox installation on PM#3 at Wisconsin mill: Flambeau River Papers, one of North America's "greenest" paper mills, completed installation of the new headbox on Paper Machine No. 3. The $2 million plus investment, which controls flow and distribution of fiber, will improve the mill's current grades while allowing the manufacture of additional specialty printing and writing papers. A new headbox represents a large investment during uncertain economic times, however it improves paper quality, uniformity and allows the addition of other uncoated free sheet grades. It is one more investment required to keep 320 dedicated, hard working U.S. employees on the job. In a decade of paper mill closures Flambeau River is taking a bold approach to keeping the mill competitive while meeting the requirements of today's demanding and ever changing printing and writing market. Customers will visually notice much better formation throughout the web and printers will notice a much improved profile in both basis weight and moisture giving a very consistent caliper.
Wausau Sells Specialty Paper Business
Wausau Paper today announced that it has signed a
definitive agreement to sell its specialty paper business to a new company
sponsored by KPS Capital Partners L.P. a New York-based private equity
firm with significant experience in the paper industry. The new company will be
known as Expera Specialty Solutions, LLC. KPS, as previously announced, has also entered into a
definitive agreement to acquire the specialty paper business of Packaging
Dynamics Corporation (“Thilmany”), which operates paper mills in De Pere and
Kaukauna, Wisconsin. Expera will combine the Thilmany business with Wausau
Paper’s specialty paper business to create a leading North American
manufacturer of specialty paper products for the food packaging, industrial,
and pressure-sensitive release liner segments. A collective bargaining agreement covering employees at the
Mosinee, Rhinelander, and Kaukauna facilities has been negotiated and ratified.
The collective bargaining agreement and the Thilmany acquisition agreement were
both conditions to Wausau Paper entering into its agreement with KPS.
Twin Rivers Acquired By Private Investment Firms
Atlas Holdings and Blue Wolf Capital to Acquire Twin Rivers Paper: Blue Wolf Capital Partners and Atlas Holdings today announced that they have reached an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Twin Rivers Paper from Brookfield Asset Management. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in approximately three weeks, allowing time for certain procedural requirements. Blue Wolf and Atlas, both NY-based private investment firms, have long track records of building forest products companies in North America. Twin Rivers, with facilities in Edmundston and Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, and Madawaska, ME, has been a vital economic engine for the region for over 80 years, producing specialty papers and lumber for a variety of markets. Through the acquisition of a controlling stake in Twin Rivers, Atlas and Blue Wolf are showing their commitment to the future of the business, and will work with the company in the development of its long-term capital and growth plans.“Twin Rivers produces specialty papers and lumber products that are well regarded throughout the industry,” said Adam Blumenthal, managing partner of Blue Wolf. “Our plan is to build on these strengths as we seek to position the operations for long-term success and as a key contributor in the revitalization of the forest products sector in Maine and New Brunswick.”
Holmen Shuts Down Swedish SC & News PM's
Holmen to shut down 140,000 tonne/yr SC PM 3 at Hallsta mill and 200,000 tonne/yr newsprint PM 51 Braviken mill, Sweden, by end of September: Holmen Paper's previously announced closures of PM 3 at Hallsta Paper Mill and PM 51 at Braviken Paper Mill will take place towards the end of September. Capacity will thus be permanently reduced by 140 000 tonnes of SC paper annually, and by 200 000 tonnes of newsprint. Also, due to conversion and adaptation to the new structure, Holmen Paper will be forced to cut a further 10 per cent of the company's available capacity in Sweden during the third quarter. The ongoing restructuring programme is taking place against the backdrop of considerable losses in the business. "The extensive capacity cuts announced will gradually lead to a better market balance in 2013," says Henrik Sjölund, head of Holmen Paper.
Bonnier, Source Interlink Exchange Titles
Bonnier, Source Interlink Exchange Titles: Change continues at Bonnier as the company announced its third major holdings change in the last month, agreeing to acquire nine motorcycle titles from Source Interlink Media. Concurrently, Bonnier has sold the majority of its TransWorld enthusiast properties and sound-system and theater review title, Sound + Vision, to Source Interlink. While related, each deal was structured separately and was not part of an asset swap, according to a Bonnier spokesperson. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed. The activity comes after Bonnier had recently sold Parenting and Babytalk to Meredith, and five snowsports properties to Active Interest Media. "The transactions today are the last in a series of moves we have implemented to transform our company to one that will achieve revenue growth and sustained profitability," says Dave Freyang, CEO of Bonnier, in an internal memo. "I realize this spring has brought significant change to our company. I also recognize that change creates uncertainty. Please be certain of this: We have our operating groups and brands in place, and we have the right people to allow us to achieve our goals." A Bonnier spokesperson confirms that there will be no layoffs in the immediate future stemming from the deal. Bonnier will pair the acquired properties with Cycle World, which it acquired from Hearst in 2011, to form the Bonnier Motorcycle Group-the largest media group in the segment, according to the company. Source Interlink staff will join Bonnier's Cycle World personnel at its Carlsbad, Calif. offices.
Survey: 70% Of Marketers Use Branded Content
Survey: 70% of marketers use branded content in advertising: Seventy percent of marketers and 77% of agencies said they have used branded content as part of advertising in the past year, according to a survey by global newspaper website MailOnline. The study was based on an online survey of 610 marketers and ad agency executives conducted in April. It found that 66% of marketers said branded content marketing is very important to their marketing mix. The top source of branded content for advertisers is publishing partners (58%), followed by clients (49%) and third-party content producers (37%). When asked which tactics were most effective in achieving branding objectives, marketers cited video as the top tactic (26%), followed by branded content, social media and search (25% each). Other tactics cited were email (17%), mobile (14%) and display advertising (9%).
B-to-B Media & Info Industry Growth Slows
http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130521/MEDIABUSINESS10/130529997/The growth of the b-to-b media and information
industry slowed last year compared with 2011, according to Business Information
Network data released by American Business Media. Collectively, the main sources of b-to-b media company
revenue, trade shows and events, print advertising, digital advertising and
business information/data— grew 4.3%, from $24.49 billion in 2011 to $25.4
billion last year. Adjusted for inflation, the increase was 2.2%. Between 2010 and 2011, the industry grew 7.2%, from $22.7
billion to $24.4 billion. The inflation-adjusted growth rate was 4.2%. ABM compiles BIN data from the Center for Exhibition
Industry Research for trade shows, Inquiry Management Systems for print (except
healthcare), Kantar Media for healthcare, and Outsell for data and business
information. ABM estimates digital advertising data based on the Interactive
Advertising Bureau’s Ad Revenue Report.
DMA: Increased Spending in Q1
DMA: Marketers increased data-driven spending in Q1: Marketing departments saw improvements in several key performance indicators in the first quarter of the year, according to a new report by the Direct Marketing Association.According to DMA's “Quarterly Business Review” for the first quarter, conducted in partnership with consultancy Winterberry Group, 80.6% of survey respondents said their data-driven marketing spending was equal to or greater than it was in the fourth quarter of last year. Following a sustained period in which marketers did not increase staff, the first quarter saw increased staffing growth for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2010, the DMA said. DMA's report is based on an online survey of 246 marketers and marketing vendors distributed in April.
Food Net & HGTV Mags-A Tale of Two New Magazines
“A Tale of Two New Magazines:” It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was
the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity…Not only is this the first line of one of the classics; it
is the opening scene of a drama we sometimes witness in the magazine media
world. Hearst recently announced that rate bases were jumping again
on two of its titles: Food Network Magazine and HGTV Magazine. This will be the
11th consecutive rate base increase for Food Network Magazine since launching
in 2009 and the 3rd increase for HGTV Magazine since the first official issue
in June 2012. It is the best of times for Food Network Magazine. Yet it
was the worst of times for another culinary magazine that had been around for
almost 70 years: Gourmet. In 2008, when the economy busted and technology burst upon
the scene, some major publishers, like Condé Nast, struggled to keep their
footing. So Gourmet was sacrificed and Condé Nast concentrated all of its
life-giving oxygen on Bon Appétit. So has the economy improved that much in four or five years
that the magazine media industry can expect the amazing growth that titles like
Food Network and HGTV are realizing? Or is there more to the story? Perhaps we
have finally learned a very important lesson: that as long as we integrate and communicate to our audience the relevant message, via the relevant platform, we
can see our numbers grow once again. In the cases of Food Network and HGTV, stories are rarely
repeated between the pages of the print magazines and those that come to life
on the television screen. Both magazines are substantial and are their own
unique experiences, apart from their broadcast counterparts. What I believe that we can take away from this is two
things: One, you have to be willing to listen to your customers,
bottom line. Paying just lip service to your customers is not going to work. It
doesn’t matter what you as an editor or publisher want, you can’t self-support
your own magazine; it’s going to take a community of loyal readers to do that
for you. Two: We need to learn from the old business model, take from
it what still works and be willing to sacrifice what does not. Doing the same
thing time and time again won’t fly in 2013. Take the best from the past, focus
on the present, and always keep an eye on the future, that’s where your
business model should be headed.
Rodale Launches E-Commerce Site
Rodale Launches Standalone E-Commerce Site, Rodale's: Rodale Inc., launches its first eco-luxury online retail store specializing in handpicked luxury and sustainably sourced goods, according to a press release. Rodale’s will offer items across most retail categories that include apparel; accessories and beauty; kitchen and garden; fitness; bed and bath; gifts and books and general care. There will be selected artisanal vendors included in the launch including Stewart+Brown apparel, Vapour Organic Beauty, Gabrielle Sanchez jewelry among others, according to the press release.
Time Launches M-Commerce Pilot Program
Time Inc.'s All You
has added shoppable capabilities to its tablet edition. Starting with the May
issue, customers using an iPad or Kindle Fire can tap a "shop now"
icon to see where the product is for sale with a direct link to purchase. The print magazine, sold through Walmart, some newsstands
and through regular subscription channels, is commerce-oriented title as it is
and adding an m-commerce capability to the tablet edition taps into reader behavior
already in place. In a recent survey conducted by All You and Insight Strategy
Group, 62 percent of a mix of All You subscribers and other women look for
product deals on their smartphone or tablet. "Ninety percent of women in
the survey think of themselves as smart bargain shoppers," says George
Kimmerling, All You's deputy editor. The shoppable function, provided through a partnership with
app commerce services provider ShopAdvisor, also allows the user to tag an item
to monitor it for price drops. This function requires an email address, and a
price change on an item triggers a message back to the reader.
Wenner's Kid New Head of RollingStone.com
Rolling Stone owner Jann Wenner has a knack for picking
talent. So we're sure his online staff will give a hearty welcome to their new
boss: Jann Wenner's fresh-out-of-college kid. Gus Wenner, 22, is an amazing media success story. Just a
few years ago, he was a Brown University student playing in a band with fellow
celebukid Brown student Scout Willis. Today, he's still playing in a band with
Scout Willis— and also running the website of a major national magazine! Gus's
dad, Jann (the boss of the place, coincidentally) sent this email out to
Rolling Stone staffers today: Dear all: David Kang and I are very pleased —and I am very proud —to
announce that Gus Wenner, after leading the re-launch re-design effort for our
website, will now continue by heading up the overall operations of
RollingStone.com. Jann
Ziff Davis Nabs NetShelter
Ziff Davis announced on Monday that it has acquired
NetShelter, a technology-centric ad network/platform which claims to represent
about 150 websites. Ziff Davis boasted in a release that the deal with elevate
the company to the position of No. 1 property in the tech category, per
comScore. "The acquisition of NetShelter fully returns Ziff Davis to the
dominant market position in the technology vertical," Ziff Davis CEO Vivek
Shah said in a statement. "We will combine our best-in-class ad targeting
capabilities and trading desk expertise with what our marketers need most
today. High-quality, high-impact inventory that's available at scale on trusted
sites frequented by tech enthusiasts." News of the deal was first reported by TechCrunch on Sunday.
Ziff Davis publishes popular tech sites like PCMag.com and Geek.com, while
NetShelter has MacRumors.com and other sites under its umbrella. Speaking about the deal, Bennett Zucker, Ziff Davis' svp and
gm of data solutions, echoed Shah's sentiment. "As a company, Ziff Davis
started out many years ago as a print publisher. (It) has enjoyed some very
high highs and endured some very low lows along the way. Since June 2010 when
we really began to reinvent the company, it's been our mission to recapture
that No. 1 spot in technology as a goal. And this acquisition, on top of some
others we've made the last couple of years, gets us there."
Tumblr And Tech Future
In the mid-90s, the pop band Barenaked Ladies sang out
scenarios for their fantasy, "If I had a million dollars." Today, in
Silicon Valley and due north in Redmond we have a new version playing out where
Yahoo, Facebook and Microsoft are all figuring out what they would spend a
billion on. While the targets -- Tumblr, Waze and Nook -- make for fascinating
discussion of fit and valuation on their own, together they show something
interesting about the future of these goliaths beyond the personal computer.
They're looking well beyond the personal computer, but in different ways. After several small acqui-hires, Yahoo has finally swung for
the fences with a billion dollar acquisition of Tumblr. Tumblr is a
microblogging and social network site, and its audience is decidedly
un-Yahoo-like. Consider, too, that Yahoo has just announced a move toward
native advertising on its sacred home page. Giving the Yahoo sales force more
inventory and the ability to blend content between the Tumblr network and Yahoo
properties might be a highly valuable combo for consumers and advertisers
alike.
Inside Yahoo!’s Tumblr Deal
http://business.time.com/2013/05/21/inside-yahoos-tumblr-deal-heres-who-hit-the-billion-dollar-jackpot/
It will likely be years before we know if Yahoo!’s blockbuster $1.1 billion deal to buy social blogging platform Tumblr was a success. But 24-hours after the deal was officially announced, a few things are certain: The deal represents a landmark event for New York City‘s tech startup scene, and a handful of Tumblr employees and investors are now extremely wealthy. Here’s a quick breakdown of the big winners and how much they made on the deal: Founder David Karp: $253 million. Karp, the 26-year-old high school dropout who founded the company six years ago, owns approximately 25% of Tumblr and is set to reap $253 million in cash as a result, according to data compiled by PrivCo, a New York-based research firm that tracks private companies and the venture capital industry. Investors: $750 million.Tumblr’s investors, of course, hit paydirt. New York-based Union Square Ventures and Boston-based Spark Capital led an initial Tumblr investment of $775,000 in 2007, and then added $4.5 million one year later, according to Bloomberg.
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