Catalyst Creditors Meeting in May, Crofton Union Votes

Catalyst Paper reschedules meetings of creditors:

Catalyst Paper has announced that meetings of its secured and unsecured creditors to consider the plan of arrangement under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act have been changed from April 23, 2012 to May 2, 2012. 

http://hqcowichanvalley.com/home/local/news/Local/12/04/13/Crofton-union-votes-to-keep-contract

Separately, union workers at the Crofton Pulp and Paper (uncoated mechanical) mill have cemented in place their new collective agreements in the event Catalyst Paper loses ownership of its B.C. operations.

Resolute/Fibrek Fight Goes On

http://www.fibrek.com/en/media/

Fibrek Inc. reminded shareholders today that the $1.40 per share offer made by Mercer International Inc. ("Mercer") remains in force and Fibrek shareholders continue to have the ability and the right to tender their shares to this superior offer.

Direct Marketing Hiring Steady

Direct marketing hiring outlook stable: After a spike in first-quarter hiring of digital and direct marketers, companies plan to hold firm on staffing this spring. According to Bernhart's latest “Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report,” 50% of companies said they plan to add to staff in the second quarter,

Hearst's House Beautiful & HSN Partners

House Beautiful Introduces Television Partnership With HSN:  Hearst’s House Beautiful is taking to the small screen this year—the publication is launching a partnership with HSN, formerly known as the Home Shopping Network, to raise awareness about the brand and foster commerce and consumer interaction.

Evaluating the Digital Audience

Managing the Digital Audience: Managing a digital audience is truly a mixed bag: on one hand, it is now possible to understand more about who is consuming what content, where and how-maybe even why; on the other hand, it can be incredibly complicated, despite all the advantages, to do so.

Q1 Industrial Production Up 5.4%

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-17/u-dot-s-dot-march-industrial-production-and-capacity-report-text

Industrial production was unchanged in March for a second month but rose at an annual rate of 5.4% in the first quarter of 2012. Manufacturing output declined 0.2% in March but jumped 10.4% at an annual rate in the first quarter.

March Retail Sales Up

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/328592/20120416/march-retail-sales-auto-empolyment.htm

Sales at U.S. retailers rose sharply for the third straight month in March, as Americans continued to weather the hike in gasoline prices and splurged on buying new cars and renovating their homes.

Retail sales jumped 0.8% in March, after advancing 1% in February, Commerce Department figures showed Monday.

GAO Reports USPS Excess Capacity

USPS dealing with excess of infrastructure, employees: According to the GAO report, the USPS has 461 processing centers but only needs 238. There are about 8,000 processing machines but with mail capacity for only 5,000; and, out of 154,000 postal employees, there is work for just 119,000, according to the report.

Port Hawk. Union Recommends Buyer's Offer

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2012-04-16/article-2955600/Former-NewPage-employees-begin-to-vote-on-companys-offer/1
The union representing 550 NewPage paper mill employees has recommended its membership accept the latest contract offer, as revised on Sunday, by prospective buyer Pacific West Commercial Corp. as they begin to vote on the package today.

UPM Announces Coated Increase

UPM has announced an increase of $40/short ton on all lightweight coated mechanical web products and $30/short ton on all coated freesheet web products. The change is effective with all orders delivered on or after July 1.

73% of News Readers Use Inserts

Three-Quarters of Newspaper Readers Use Printed Circulars: A new study from the NAA shows Internet users rely on local newspaper media, digital as well as print, for news and information. 73% have used newspaper printed circulars in the past 30 days. 61% say that newspapers provide more useful advertising and the majority of respondents prefer print circulars to digital.

2011 FSI Coupons Up 30.7%

FSI Coupon Activity Increased 30.7% in 2011: Kantar Media reports that retailer advertising expenditures increased 1.6% and retailer participation in Free Standing Insert (FSI) coupon promotion pages increased 30.7% in 2011 versus 2010. Additionally, digital coupon events increased 40.4% during this period.

Bonnier's Names Mag+ CEO

Bonnier's Gregg Hano Named Mag+ CEO: This morning, it was announced that Bonnier Corp. senior VP/corporate sales Gregg Hano was elevated to CEO of Mag+, the Bonnier AB-owned tablet technology that was spun off in January 2011 so it can serve other companies and magazines.

Port Hawkesbury Union Considering Offer

Update: Port Hawkesbury workers taking time to consider offer:
At tonight’s meeting of the unionized workers of the former NewPage Port Hawkesbury mill, which manufactured Supercalendered paper, the employees were presented their offer from Pacific West Commercial Corp.
The workers have decided to take some time to consider the offer and will reconvene at a meeting on Saturday afternoon.

Appleton Coated Increases Paper Price

Appleton Coated is the latest company to announce a coated paper increase. The price of coated woodfree paper will go up $1.50/cwt, effective May 1. West Linn, Sappi, Verso and NewPage previously reported raising coated paper prices.

RRD CEO Compensation Falls

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-compensation-for-donnelleys-quinlan-slips-12-20120411,0,940951,print.story

Chicago-based R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. paid its president and chief executive $6.1 million last year, 12 percent less than 2010.

 

Catalyst Fund Reports a 8.1% Share in Quad/Graphics

Catalyst Fund reports a 8.1% stake in Quad/Graphics ([[QUAD]] +1.1%)...:
Catalyst Fund reports a 8.1% stake in Quad/Graphics in a filing with the SEC blasting the company in no uncertain terms.

Average CEO Tenure Down

Average Tenure of CEOs Declined to 8.4 Years: The average tenure of a CEO declined to 8.4 years in 2011 from approximately 10 years in 2000, according to the 2012 edition of CEO Succession Practices, a new report by The Conference Board, the global business research and membership organization.

Two Sides Survey on Print

Two Sides reaches out with buyer survey: Two Sides and Print Power are encouraging every company in the industry to forward a survey on print use to all their contacts in a bid to reinforce the positive message about print media.

Manistique Paper Sold

http://www.pioneertribune.com/news/2012-04-12/Front_Page/Seven_months_after_filing_bankruptcy_paper_mill_re.html

Manistique Papers Inc. had reached an agreement with The Watermill Group to sell the 91-year-old paper mill. According to MPI General Manager Jon Johnson, the agreement was signed Wednesday afternoon and was transmitted electronically to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., for approval.

Approval of the Watermill bid is anticipated to be April 17, with the close of the transaction to take place early May. Terms of the deal are undisclosed pending bankruptcy approval. In November 2009, Watermill purchased the FutureMark Paper Company in Alsip, Ill.

West Linn Latest to Raise Coated Prices

West Linn Paper became the fourth North American coated papermaker to announce a coated freesheet (CFS) price increase in the past week with a $30/ton ($1.50/cwt) hike on orders shipping on or after May 29. 

Separately, Verso, NewPage and Sappi also announced coated paper price increases. 

Resolute Takes 46.8% of Fibrek

http://resolutefp.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=28238&item=126821
AbitibiBowater Inc., doing business as Resolute Forest Products, today announced that all applicable conditions to its offer for Fibrek Inc. have been satisfied and that it has taken up and accepted for payment the 60,831,859 shares deposited as of 11:59 p.m. on April 11.  The tendered shares represent approximately 46.8% of the currently outstanding Fibrek shares. 

Brookfield to Sell Twin Rivers

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/04/11/business/brookfield-trying-to-sell-interest-in-madawaska-paper-mill/?ref=mostReadBoxBusiness 

Brookfield Asset Management confirmed Wednesday that it is looking for a buyer for its 51 percent share in Twin Rivers, which employs approximately 1,200 at its paper operations in Madawaska and Edmundston, New Brunswick, and at a sawmill in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick.

Communications Industry Spending Up

Communications Industry Spending to Beat GDP Growth in 2012:  The overall U.S. communications industry is projected to grow another 5.6 percent in 2012, reaching almost $1.2 trillion and beating GDP's 4.4 percent growth, says a new report from private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson.

Condé Nast Buys ZipList

Condé Nast Buys Digital Recipe and Shopping Service ZipList: Condé Nast has acquired the digital food shopping and recipe organizer service ZipList. While the deal is not sizeable, All Things D reports the sale price at around $14 million, the technology can easily integrate with Condé's food titles allowing deeper engagement with the content.

Quad/Graphics/Wired Produce NFC Ad

Quad/Graphics, Wired pioneer high-tech magazine ad:
Quad/Graphics Inc. and Wired magazine said they have collaborated to produce the first mass-produced, "near field communication" U.S. magazine ad. Wired’s April issue features an ad with a near field communication (NFC) tag that launches a mobile site when tapped by an NFC-enabled Android smartphone.

Email Deliverability Declines

Email Deliverability Experiences Historic Decline in Second Half of 2011: A recent analysis of inbox placement rates of marketing messages show sharp deliverability rates in the second half of 2011. According to Global Email Deliverability Benchmark report, for the first time in three years, there has been a major global decline of 6% in the second half of 2011 bringing inbox placement rates to a record low of 76.5% globally, compared to 81% in the first half of 2011.
 

Sappi Announces Coated Increase

Sappi Fine Paper North America informed North American customers today that it plans to increase the price of its coated freesheet (CFS) products by $30/ton, effective with deliveries on or after June 1. Separately, NewPage and Verso had announced coated paper (and, for Verso, SC) increases to be effective May 1.

Port Hawkesbury Union to Vote Thursday

Contract proposal on the table in Port Hawkesbury, NS:
After 16 days of meetings between Stern Partners (Pacific West Commercial Corp.) and the CEP representing the workers of the former NewPage Port Hawkesbury mill, a contract proposal is on the table.

Mercer Increases Bid for Fibrek

Mercer increases its bid for Fibrek:

Mercer International Inc. has increased its offer for Fibrek and is now offering to purchase all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Fibrek for $1.30 (up from $1.40).

The increased consideration represents a 40% premium over the unsolicited insider bid made by AbitibiBowater Inc. (doing business as Resolute Forest Products).

Fibrek Inc.  had announced that the Supreme Court of Canada has granted Fibrek’s request to expedite the application for permission to appeal the Québec Court of Appeal’s decision to maintain the cease trade order of the proposed private placement of 32,320,000 special warrants to purchase common shares of Fibrek to Mercer International Inc.

3 Publishers Settle, Justice Dept & 2 More Continue Apple Suit

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304444604577337573054615152.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

The U.S. hit Apple Inc. and five of the nation's largest publishers with an antitrust lawsuit over the fast-growing e-book market, alleging they conspired to raise prices and block Amazon.com Inc. from selling e-books at $9.99.

Three of the publishers settled the U.S. suit and agreed to let Amazon and other retailers set the consumer price of e-books, upending the model that had led the price of many best-selling e-books to rise to $12.99 or $14.99. A separate settlement with states could lead to tens of millions of dollars in restitution to consumers who bought e-books.

Soap Opera Weekly Shuttered

American Media Inc.’s Soap Opera Weekly Folds: American Media Inc.’s Soap Opera Weekly is closing. Initially reported by Adweek, the soap opera rag is shuttering due to a “decline in readership in the soap opera market,” according to an AMI spokesperson.

EatingWell Rate Base Up Again

Meredith’s EatingWell to Up Rate Base Again in 2012: Meredith’s EatingWell magazine will raise its rate base from 500,000 to 600,000, starting with its September/October issue, marking the title’s second rate base boost this year.

Q1 Ad Gains for Forbes, Bloomberg & Fortune

Big 3 business magazines gain ad pages in first quarter: The big three business magazines—Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and Fortune—all posted advertising page gains in the first quarter, according to Publishers Information Bureau figures released by MPA.

Q1 Ad Pages Fall

http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/ad-categories-stalling-magazines-rebound/234070/

Magazine ad pages fell 8.2% in the first quarter year-over-year, according to new figures from the Publishers Information Bureau. Among magazines' 12 biggest ad categories, 10 bought fewer pages.

Auto ad pages were down 35.8% from first-quarter 2011. Also down were food (17.8%), retail (7.4%), drugs and remedies (7.3%) and direct response (6.6%).

The only two categories to increase magazine ad pages were apparel and accessories, at 6.3%, and toiletries and cosmetics, at 2.5%.

Printing Jobs Down, Ad Agencies & Graphic Design Up

Unemployment Improves as Workers Leave; Printing Employment Shrinks; A Small Business Setback (Economics & Research Center):
What of printing industry employment; Starting with the beginning of the recession, printing employment has declined for 49 of 52 months, falling by -158,800 jobs in that period, about -3,000 per month. March was a -2,800 drop from February. Employment in graphic design and ad agencies is still increasing, based on February’s data.
 

Quebecor Pursues Eco-Friendly Steps

Quebecor Continues Partnership With Jour de la Terre Quebec and...:
Quebecor is taking decisive steps to incorporate eco-friendly principles into its activities, such as a corporate environmental strategy, a sustainable development committee that includes all its subsidiaries, and 70 Green Ambassadors.

Catalyst: Stalking Horse Bidder Named

http://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/146681815.html
A group of Catalyst Paper Corp.'s first-lien noteholders (CP Acquisition LLC) will serve as stalking-horse bidder with a $275 million bid for the British Columbia specialty paper and newsprint producer if the company's reorganization efforts fail.
 

Mohawk Changes Name, Plans Future

Mohawk Launches Reinvention Plan, Streamlining Paper Lines: At launch events held in New York over the last three weeks for customers and employees, Mohawk Fine Papers revealed its blueprint to transform its premium paper business to thrive in today’s digital world.

UPM Will Recycle Release Liner

UPM develops adhesive paper recycling technique: Paper manufacturer UPM has developed an in-house solution for recycling paper-based release liner back into pulp.

Time Inc. Study on Response to Media

Time Inc. Measures Consumers' Emotional Response to Media: If publishers think they've been covering the bases with an anytime, anywhere content strategy, they might be shocked to learn the results of a recent Time Inc. study conducted with Innerscope Research. The study, called "A Biometric Day in the Life," measured the emotional responses to various media platforms.

2012 Webby Nominees Announced

Magazine Nods Abound in 2012 Webby Nominees: The 16th annual Webby Awards nominees were announced today by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.
National Geographic, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair and WIRED will compete in the Best Magazine category.

Print Ads Recycled in Tablets

Advertisers Recycle Print Ads for Tablets: With Conde Nast, Hearst and Meredith launching their own digital newsstand in the form of Next Issue Media, it’s clear that magazine publishers are counting on tablets for future growth. But a new report from Kantar Media suggests publishers will need to upgrade ad offerings in tablet editions to fully exploit the new platform.

M&A Activity Down in Q1

Media and marketing M&A activity slides in first quarter: The number of M&A deals in the media and marketing sector slipped to 402 in the first quarter, a decline of 3.8% compared with the year-earlier period, according to Berkery, Noyes & Co.'

Second Mill Announces Price Increase

NewPage announced that it will increase coated freesheet and coated mechanical products by $30-60/ton, effective May 1. The company attributed the move to rising input and transportation costs. Verso had previously announced an increase for both coated and Supercalendered papers.

Battle for Fibrek Continues

Fibrek Inc. ("Fibrek" or the "Company") announced today that Mercer International Inc. ("Mercer") has extended the expiry date of its superior offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Fibrek to April 16, 2012.

NFL Magazine Shuttered

NFL Magazine Is No More:  NFL magazine, launched last year, is closing. The April issue will be final issue.

Inc. Names Editor

Schurenberg named editor of 'Inc.': Mansueto Ventures has named Erick Schurenberg the new editor of Inc. Previously the editor of Inc.com, Schurenberg succeeds Jane Berentson, who is now the brand's international editor and will move to London.

Goldstone Returns as Hanley Wood CEO

Peter Goldstone Returns to Hanley Wood As CEO: Hanley Wood's CEO Frank Anton is transitioning into a chairman role, the company announced today. Former Hanley Wood president Peter Goldstone, is returning to the company as CEO.

Bonnier Launches Titles Through Pulse

Bonnier Launches 20 Titles Through Pulse: After a six-month trial run between Popular Science and content aggregation app Pulse scored a subscriber bonanza, Bonnier has decided to launch 19 more titles through it.  

Cuts for Quad/Graphics CEO

Reduced Bonuses Lead to Compensation Cut for Quad/Graphics CEO Quadracci: Smaller cash bonus payouts contributed to a drop in overall compensation for Quad/Graphics Inc. chairman, president and CEO Joel Quadracci, according to a new federal regulatory filing. Quadracci’s overall compensation dipped about 25 percent to about $4.2 million in 2011.

CEO Confidence Increases

CEO Confidence Increases: The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence, which had improved in the fourth quarter, increased further in the first quarter of 2012. The Measure now reads 63, up from 49 last quarter (a reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses).

Verso Raises Coated & Supercalendered Price

Verso Paper, plans to increase the price of its coated freesheet, coated mechanical and supercalendered papers by $30-60/ton (on all grades, basis weights and finishes), effective May 1.

Fibrek Files for Expedited Process

Fibrek Inc. announced today that it has filed a motion with the Supreme Court of Canada seeking permission for an expedited process to hear both an application for leave to appeal and the appeal itself, if leave is granted, of the Québec Court of Appeal's decision to maintain the cease trade order of the proposed private placement of 32,320,000 special warrants to purchase common shares of Fibrek to Mercer International Inc.

NewPage Names Specialty Papers Managers

NewPage Corporation has promoted three individuals to new management positions in its specialty papers business. Dawn Soucek has been promoted to Business Innovation Manager for NewPage specialty papers. Sandra Trzebiatowski has been named Commercial Manager, Specialty. Audra Franz has been promoted to NewPage Stevens Point Mill Controller.

LA City Council Committee Bans Plastic & Paper Bags

The Los Angeles City Council's Energy and Environment Committee today voted to advance an ordinance banning all paper and plastic retail bags in the City of Los Angeles over the course of a year, a move that ironically pushes consumers toward more resource-intensive alternatives.

Mark Daniels, of Hilex Poly, said:

"The proposed policy will have no real impact on litter, instead it will only force residents to purchase less environmentally-friendly alternatives like reusable bags, nearly all of which are not recyclable, are less sanitary, are made in China using foreign oil, and often contain heavy metals."

Ripon Printers Buys Sells Printing

Ripon Printers, a leading printer of catalogs, publications, manuals, and soft-cover educational products, acquired certain business interests and assets of the Sells Printing Co. LLC on March 27, 2012. The combined annual sales of the two companies total approximately $55 million.

Online Retailers Still Waiting for Congress

Online sales tax still tops the agenda for major retailers: Laws have already been enacted in California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, North Carolina, Arkansas and Rhode Island and legislation is being proposed in Florida, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan and other states. Scott Stanzel, Amazon's head of corporate communications says the company wants Congress to act as quickly as possible “to provide businesses with predictability and consistency.”

February Commercial Printing Shipments

February US Commercial Printing Shipments Flat with 2011 (Economics & Research Center):
February 2012 printing shipments were reported by the Commerce Department as flat with 2011, at $6.358 billion in current US dollars.

Verso Completes Tender Offer

http://www.paperage.com/2012news/04_04_2012verso_paper_tender_offer.html

Verso Paper Corp. announced today the completion of the tender offer (the “Tender Offer”) of two of its subsidiaries, Verso Paper Holdings LLC and Verso Paper Inc. (together, the "Issuers") to purchase any and all of the Issuers’ outstanding 11.5% senior secured notes due 2014 (the "Notes").

Catalyst Faces $73.5 Million Shortfall

Catalyst Paper has a $73.5 million deficit in their pension plan:
Catalyst Paper has a $73.5 million shortfall in its pension plan.
Currently, the principal creditors of Catalyst Paper have until April 23 to agree on a restructuring plan. If they can not agree to a restructuring plan, Catalyst Paper will accept an already-negotiated “stalking horse bid” from its secured bondholders to buy the company.

Focus Direct Closing Plant

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Focus-Direct-to-close-S-A-site-3452920.php

Direct-mail company Focus Direct, part of Market Partners, is closing its San Antonio production facility. Work is being diverted to larger facilities in Iowa and Virginia.

Next Issue Media's New Plan

Next Issue Media Launches Unlimited Digital Mag Access Plan: Next Issue Media has rolled out a new digital newsstand subscription plan and app for tablet magazines that allows customers to pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited access to a collection of, so far, 32 titles from 5 publishers, including Time and Hearst.

Heidelberg Expands Print Offerings

Heidelberg Expands Grand-Format and Cut-Sheet Digital Printing Offerings: Print media service providers today face a dynamic and challenging market characterized by shorter run lengths and customer demand for high-quality, flexible, low-cost solutions.

Publishers' Pinterest Interest

Pinterest: This online pin board is attracting serious attention among publishers as a significant source of traffic and “the next big thing” in social media.

72% of U.S. Recovered Paper Exports to China

While US exports of recovered paper declined in January from December by 3%, China's January buying represented almost 72% of total exports, according to figures from the US Dept of Commerce, Bureau of Census.

China in January purchased 1.3 million tonnes of US recovered paper. The total exports for the month was 1.8 million.

India was the No. 2 largest destination for US recovered paper, with 7% of total exports and 121,161 tonnes.

China First in Forest Industry Growth

http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GX/global/about/index.htm

According to the 2012 Global forest, paper, and packaging sector outlook launched today by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited's Global Manufacturing Industry group, China is expected to lead the sector in growth for 2012 due to increasing demand in the Asia Pacific region.

For the pulp and paper subsector, forecasts are positive; as such, pulp plants are under construction in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Lower production costs, availability of raw material, and shorter growing time for trees are key drivers for the increase in pulp production in South America.

A DMA Win in Sales Tax Battles

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120403/DIRECT03/304039992/dma-scores-internet-sales-tax-win-in-colorado

A U.S. District Court judge in Colorado has issued an injunction against the state's director of the department of revenue, blocking any enforcement of Colorado's law that requires out-of-state e-commerce businesses to report residents' purchases to the state so that it can collect sales tax.

52 Magazine Launches in 2012

52 Magazine Launches, 12 Closures in Q12012: 2012 started off strong with 52 new titles launched and only 12 folds, according to online database MediaFinder.com.

ASME Announces Finalists

ASME Announces 2012 National Magazine Awards Finalists: The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) today announced the finalists for the 2012 National Magazine Awards, known familiarly as the Ellies. With six, New York is tied for most nominations.

Bloomsbury Buys Fairchild

Fairchild Fashion Media Sells Book Division to Bloomsbury: Fairchild Fashion Media, the trade group within Condé Nast that publishes Women's Wear Daily, Style.com and Footwear News, among others, has sold its book division, Fairchild Books, to the U.S. subsidiary of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for $6.5 million.

QuadDirect Adds Press-Plus

QuadDirect Advances In-line Direct Mail Production with 12-unit, Double-Web Press: QuadDirect, a division of Quad/Graphics, is completing installation of a new “Press-Plus” solution for in-line direct mail production that promises higher response rates and improved ROI.

RRD Invests in Real Valuable

R.R. Donnelley Invests in Maker of iPad App for Catalog Shopping: R. R. Donnelley & Sons announced that it has taken an equity stake in San Francisco-based Real Valuable Corp., maker of the CoffeeTable iPad catalog shopping app.

Egmont Launches New Title

Southernprint to produce new Egmont girls magazine: Egmont has launched a new monthly magazine, Monster High, a brand extension of the successful doll brand that has sold more than 5m dolls worldwide.

Heidelberg Cutting Capacity 15%

Heidelberg to slash 1,500 jobs and cut capacity by 15%: Heidelberg has concluded a consultation with its employees that will see its worldwide headcount slashed by more than 1,500 come 2014.