NewPage Reports Q2 Results

http://investors.newpagecorp.com/2013-08-09-NewPage-Reports-Second-Quarter-2013-Financial-Results

NewPage Holdings Inc. (NewPage) today reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2013.

Net sales in the second quarter of 2013 were $720 million compared to $759 million in the second quarter of 2012.  The decrease was primarily the result of lower sales volume and lower average paper prices, partially offset by improved mix.
Net loss in the second quarter of 2013 was $13 million compared to net income of $84 million in the second quarter of 2012.  The change in results was driven by bankruptcy-related items in the prior-year quarter, primarily associated with the reversal of $115 million of interest expense on the pre-petition debt.
Operating cash flows in the second quarter of 2013 were $19 million, which included $16 million of bankruptcy-related payments. Operating cash flows in the second quarter of 2012 were $96 million, which included $12 million of bankruptcy-related payments and $63 million representing 2011 post-petition First Lien Notes interest that was reversed into income as it was re-characterized as a principal reduction.  For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the company used $23 million of cash in operations, which included $58 million of bankruptcy-related payments.  For the six months ended June 30, 2012, the company used $48 million of cash in operations, which included a $38 million interest payment on pre-petition debt and $34 million of other bankruptcy-related payments. Any remaining bankruptcy-related payments are not expected to be significant.
Adjusted EBITDA (see reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA below), was $50 million in the second quarter of 2013 compared to $57 million in the second quarter of 2012.

FSC Terminates All Association with APRIL

https://us.fsc.org/index.htm

Effective 7 August 2013, the Forest Stewardship Council has ended all association with the APRIL

Group, including the immediate termination of all Trademark License Agreements (TLA).

This decision follows the withdrawal of APRIL companies from FSC Chain of Custody certification, which FSC was notified about after a complaint had been filed in May 2013. The complaint by Greenpeace International, Rainforest Action Network and WWF Indonesia alleged the APRIL Group was in violation of FSC's Policy for Association.
According to a statement by APRIL published on 24 June 2013, the withdrawal was based on their "concerns about the FSC's Policy for Association." APRIL further acknowledged in writing that they "expect the Policy for Association criteria would exclude APRIL and companies associated with it from FSC certification."
With the termination of the remaining association with APRIL, FSC has now also closed the complaint filed by the environmental NGOs.
In the future, before FSC re-enters into a new association with APRIL a robust due diligence process would be required. Because of the allegations made by the environmental NGOs in their complaint, which were in part acknowledged by APRIL, any company linked to APRIL - including companies tied to the Royal Golden Eagle Group (of which APRIL is a part) - would be subject to scrutiny before being considered for FSC certification. 
The due diligence would consider the allegations made in the May 2013 complaint, as well as APRIL's overall compliance with the FSC Policy for Association.

CAW & CEP Heads Step Down as Unions Merge

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/industry/Lewenza+reportedly+step+down+head+union/8761155/story.html

Canadian Auto Workers President Ken Lewenza will reportedly announce on Thursday that he’s stepping down in September.

Media reports late Wednesday also said Dave Coles, the president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, will also resign.

The CAW and the CEP voted last year to merge and both unions will hold a news conference in Toronto on Thursday to make an announcement about leadership.

Reports say Lewenza and Coles are expected to endorse senior CAW official Jerry Dias as president of the new combined union, called Unifor.

Lewenza was elected the national president of the CAW in 2008, replacing Buzz Hargrove, and Coles has been president of the CEP since 2006.

The new union will represent more than 300,000 workers across roughly 20 sectors of the economy, primarily in manufacturing, communications and transportation.

Unifor will also represent some public sector employees in the health, education and transit sectors.

Bob Sacks:Facts Behind the Magazine Figures

http://www.pubexec.com/blog/the-facts-behind-magazine-circulation-figures

Before I respond to Samir Husni's blog posting, I feel I have to preface this extremely serious, on-going discussion and reiterate for the record my consistent position on magazines.

I believe that print will survive and be very profitable for many publishers for several generations. I believe that there will literally be billions of dollars of print advertising revenue for the print industry going out as far as 2020. In fact, I'll give you an exact anticipated figure. I suggest there will be in the range of 10 to 12 billion dollars of print revenue still remaining for the periodical business seven years from now.

According to Samir's dialog , I should be jumping for joy, based on the numbers released, but actually I am not.  Our industries revenue number has literally plunged since 2007 when advertising print revenue was $47 Billion. Yes, we are alive, but greatly diminished. Is there another interpretation that I am missing? The joy as I see it, if there is any with statistics like those that continue to be released, is the fact that in the same time period that publishers' print revenue has decreased, their digital revenue has increased.  The digital revenue increases are not at all the same pace as the print declines yet, but they are at least headed consistently north.

MediaPost Mag Bag

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/206416/mag-bag-hearst-produces-estee-lauder-beauty-book.html#axzz2bTpvT3W6

Hearst Launches Branded Flipboard Mag for Estée Lauder 

Hearst Magazines Digital Media is diving into custom publishing with a new branded Flipboard magazine for Estée Lauder called Beauty Book. The new publication, produced in partnership with OMD, features custom content created by Hearst brands Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire, along with content dealing with beauty, health, fashion, and lifestyle -- all to promote Estée Lauder’s new “Advanced Night Repair” beauty product line. 

ABM Study Shows Value of B2B 

This week ABM released a new study, “The Value of B-to-B,” highlighting the effectiveness of business-to-business media including events, magazines, and Web sites. Among its findings, 96% of media users polled visit b-to-b websites and read print magazines, 73% percent visit these Web sites at least weekly, and 45% read print magazines at least weekly.
Meredith Rebrands Hispanic Business Unit, Announces Appointments 

Meredith Corp. has rebranded its Hispanic business unit, previously known as Meredith Hispanic Ventures, as Meredith Hispanic Media, to better reflect the company’s offerings across multiple media channels. In addition to magazines Siempre Mujer, Ser Padres, Ser Padres Espera and Ser Padres Bebé, Meredith Hispanic Media offers advertisers digital, social, video, and experiential marketing platforms, as well as proprietary and syndicated research capabilities, custom publishing, content licensing, database marketing, and grassroots marketing.Meredith also announced a number of promotions and appointments.

Jon Werther has been named executive vice president and president of Meredith Digital.
Andy Wilson has been named senior vice president and chief digital officer. Alison Adler Matz has been named publisher of More magazine. Finally, Steven Grune has been named publisher of Allrecipes magazine.

The Week, Mental Floss Announce Hires
The Week and Mental Floss announced four executive hires to bolster their business and editorial teams. Richard Blakely has been named director of digital products and strategy for The Week and Mental Floss; Tracy Monahan has been named marketing director for the publications.

Consumers Care about Social Responsibility

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/206388/nielsen-consumers-who-care-are-on-the-rise.html#axzz2bTpvT3W6

Giving back to society grows in importance as a global business strategy and consumers of all ages care about it more than they did just two years ago.

That is the finding of the latest report from Nielsen Holdings N.V. on “The Global, Socially-Conscious Consumer.” (Download full report here.) When Nielsen first undertook the research in 2011, 45% of respondents agreed they are willing to pay more for goods and services from socially responsible companies.
This year, the percentage jumped to 50%. The most dramatic increase was seen among 40 to 44 year olds, who went from 38% in 2011 to 50% in 2013. Those in the 50-to-54-year-old bracket are also catching up to their younger peers, with 48% now saying they’d pay more vs. 37% in 2011.

“Today, the question is not whether consumers care about social impact, but which ones, how much and how to appeal to them,” said Nic Covey, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Nielsen. “The answer isn’t necessarily a traditional cause-marketing campaign – general responsibility, sustainable innovation and purpose messaging might also engage these consumers. No matter the approach, savvy brands are figuring out how to hit this nerve.”

The Times Isn’t for Sale

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/business/media/times-co-chairman-declares-paper-not-for-sale.html

After a week in which both The Boston Globe and The Washington Post were purchased by new owners, the publisher of The New York Times emphatically declared Wednesday night that the publication was not for sale.

In a statement, the publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., who is also chairman of The New York Times Company, said that he and Michael Golden, the vice chairman, had spoken to Donald E. Graham, chairman and chief executive of The Washington Post Company, about his decision to sell The Post and some smaller newspapers and stressed that The Times did not plan to follow a similar path.
“Will our family seek to sell The Times? The answer to that is no. The Times is not for sale, and the trustees of the Ochs-Sulzberger Trust and the rest of the family are united in our commitment to work together with the company’s board, senior management and employees to lead The New York Times forward into our global and digital future,” the statement said.

Weiss Family Completes Acquisition American Greetings

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/08/09/5100831/american-greetings-announces-completion.html

American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) today announced the completion of its acquisition by the Weiss Family for $19.00 per share in cash. 

American Greetings' shareholders approved the transaction at a special meeting held on August 7, 2013.  The transaction closed and became effective today.  As a result of the transaction, American Greetings' Class A common shares will be delisted from the NYSE.

Proposed Help for Canadian Post

http://www.northumberlandview.ca/index.php?module=news&type=user&func=display&sid=23649#.UgU2B4UVv7w

How to Save the Mail without Breaking the Bank - C.D. Howe Institut

The federal government should progressively allow new entrants to bid for some of the mail services currently provided by Canada Post, says a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In "How Ottawa Can Deliver a Reformed Canada Post," author Benjamin Dachis, Senior Policy Analyst at the Institute, notes that Canada Post, a Crown corporation, is facing a future of large financial losses due to declining mail delivery volumes, costly universal service commitments, and mounting pension obligations. Putting more of their services to tender would be a strategy to mitigate such losses. 

Canada Post responds to C.D. Howe Institute's report

Canada Post is currently conducting an important national discussion with Canadians on the future of postal service in Canada. With the relentless decline in Lettermail resulting in ongoing financial losses at the Corporation, fundamental changes are needed to transform the business. The C.D. Howe Institute report, "How Ottawa Can Deliver a Reformed Canada Post," provides further reflection on these challenges and the growing need for change.