"The Economist" Formula for Success

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/garrett-goodman/the-economist-events_b_1796892.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

In a time of acute financial struggle for most media houses, weekly newspaper The Economist announced record profits and record circulation for last year. In the group's 2012 annual report, editorial events was cited by numerous managing directors as an important part of the publication's strategy.

This is a closer look at The Economist Group's event strategy: how it fosters audience engagement, generates millions in revenue, and attracts new readers.

Mobile Ad Revenue 2012 Forecast: $2.6 Billion

EMarketer projects mobile ad revenue will hit $2.6 billion this year: U.S. mobile advertising revenue will reach $2.6 billion this year, up 74% over last year, according to eMarketer. By 2014, U.S. mobile ad revenue will top $6.6 billion, the research firm forecast.

Transcontinental Reports Q3 Results

Transcontinental Increases Revenues by 8%: Transcontinental's Inc. revenues grew 8% in the third quarter, from $479.4 million to $517.0 million. This growth was driven primarily by the acquisition of  Quad/Graphics Canada, Inc. and Redux Media, among others, the volume generated from new printing contracts and the launches of new community newspapers in Quebec.

Court Affidavit Reviews Port Hawkesbury Prep Cost

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2012-09-04/article-3067445/Court-told-of-prep-work-required-for-NewPage-mill/1

Court affidavit reviews ‘crucial’ prep work required to reopen Port Hawkesbury paper mill in Nova Scotia [From the web]:

Repairs will be required to some machinery at the NewPage Port Hawkesbury mill prior to it resuming operations under a new owner, and the timing of the work is considered crucial to restarting the mill.

An affidavit filed with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court by chief restructuring officer Peter Wedlake outlines the measures that will be required to put the mill, which Pacific West Commercial Corp. is currently working to buy, back into a state where it will be able to produce paper. Wedlake said there is a need to take immediate action beyond what has taken place during the almost year-long hot idle of the mill.

The total cost of the materials and work required, including labour, is listed as almost $2 million.

UPM Announces Coated Price Increase

UPM has announced an increase of $3.00 cwt on coated mechanical paper prices, effective with deliveries on or after October 1, 2012. The following grades, in all basis weights and finishes, are included: UPM Cote, UPM Satin, UPM Ultra and UPM Star.

German Paper Industry: Strain on LWC Producers

http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/archive/2012/september/Artikel/strong-competition-and-declining-demand-on-the-german-market-put-a-strain-on-lwc-producers.html

The paper industry is suffering more than expected from the declining demand for LWC. Printing and publishing companies have recently reported that their order intake is weak or have even complained of declining volumes – even though order books of paper factories are growing again.

The majority of EUWID contacts in the LWC market are not satisfied with the way the year has developed or their annual figures – even a strong finish would no longer be enough to save 2012, many said.

Time Names President of News & Sports Group

Time Inc. Names Todd Larsen EVP and Group President of News and Sports Group:
Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang is filling in her yet to be publicly outlined digital strategy with the hire of Todd Larsen (pictured) as the new executive vice president and group president of Time Inc.’s News and Sports groups. In announcing his appointment, the company is emphasizing his background in building paid content models. 

ABM Forecast: 2013 Postal Rates Will Rise

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120906/MEDIABUSINESS10/309069994/abm-forecasts-postal-rates-will-rise-3-5-in-2013

American Business Media is projecting that commercial mailers and marketers could face a 3.5% increase in postal rates next year.

The U.S. Postal Service is allowed by law to boost postal rates based on cost of living increases as measured by the Consumer Price Index, currently 2.5% to 3.0%. It also can base rates on any unused CPI amounts it has “banked,” which currently is about 0.5% for various postal products.

Legislation being considered by Congress, and urged by the ABM, would delay any rate increases for periodicals for at least two years.

Globally, Newspapers are Growing

http://themediaonline.co.za/2012/09/world-press-trends-newspaper-audience-rise-digital-revenues-yet-to-follow/

Report from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) said in its annual update of World Press Trends:

- More than 2.5 billion people read newspapers in print at least once a week and 600 million read newspapers online. Of those online readers, 500 million read both print and online and 100 million access newspapers in their digital version only.
- Newspaper paid-for circulation increased by 1.1% globally in 2011 compared with 2010, to 512 million.
- The global newspaper audience has grown by 4.2% since 2007.

Hearst Names "Marie Claire" Editor

http://www.adweek.com/print/143333

Just a few hours after news broke of Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles' move to Cosmopolitan [1], Hearst Magazines quashed budding rumors of who will inherit Coles' throne by announcing her successor: Brides editor in chief Anne Fulenwider.

Open Sky Media Expanding in Regional Magazines

The Growth of a Regional Magazine Company: Open Sky Media: After the acquisition of San Antonio, Austin Monthly and Austin Monthly Home, Hadley Capital, a private equity firm specializing in acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, recapitalizations and add-on acquisitions, among other things, founded Open Sky Media in March 2011...Open Sky Media (OSM) is hoping to reach its goal of having 10 to 12 regional titles in its portfolio in the next few years.

Printing Industry: Declining at Slower Pace

U.S. Printing Industry to Continue to Decline at Slower Pace Says IBISWorld Report: The U.S. printing industry has contended with a variety of challenges over the past five years.  The U.S. printing industry has contended with a variety of challenges over the past five years. Consumers are increasingly favoring digital alternatives, such as online media, over printed materials.

Content Marketing Increasing

Content Marketing World: Budgets rise, social media dominates: Marketer commitment to content marketing is on the rise, with greater portions of marketing budgets being devoted to content creation and distribution, according to a new study from the Content Marketing Institute.
Marketers are devoting 31% of their budgets to content marketing, according to CMI's report, which was based on an online survey of 2,400 marketers in August. That is up from 26% reported in last year's study.

Tools for Direct Mail Campaigns

What is one of the most important aspects of your mail campaign??? (Digital Nirvana):
Software.
These days print and mail environments are held to strict requirements of HIPPA, PHI, SOX, and PIPEDA and are responsible for reporting back to those agencies. This can be a headache without the right software...Inserts propose another challenge to any direct mail campaign. Making sure the appropriate inserts ends up in its corresponding envelope can be tricky. Luckily, “intelligent inserting” is here to save the day.

Verso Will Not Pursue NewPage Acquisition

http://www.versopaper.com/

Verso Paper Corp. (NYSE:VRS) announced today that it has decided to cease further discussions with NewPage Corporation or its creditors regarding a potential business combination. Verso President and CEO David Paterson commented, "After careful analysis, we believe it is in the best interests of our company and its stakeholders to focus on the many other opportunities for Verso, including internal growth projects and other potential strategic alternatives."

More Mills to Lower Pulp Price

Georgia-Pacific (G-P) informed US customers that it would lower prices on fluff and its paper grade market pulp, effective September 1 until further notice, industry contacts said today.

Domtar and Weyerhaeuser separately informed North American customers that their northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp prices would decline $20/tonne, effective September 1 until further notice.

Transcontinental Extends Rogers' Contracts

http://www.stockhouse.com/News/CanadianReleasesDetail.aspx?n=8605040

TC Transcontinental Printing is proud to announce that its two contracts to print Rogers' marketing products and magazines have been extended to 2019 for a value of up to $250 million. That Rogers has extended these major contracts testifies to the efficiency and quality of the services TC Transcontinental provides to meet the diversified needs of this Canadian corporation.

UPM Sells Kajaani Sawmill

http://www.upm.com/EN/MEDIA/All-news/Pages/default.aspx

On 29 June 2012, Pölkky Oy and UPM signed a contract on the acquisition of Kajaani Sawmill by Pölkky Oy. The business operations will be transferred to the new owner in the beginning of September. With this acquisition, the Pölkky Oy sawing capacity will rise to 650 000 m³.

FPAC Seeks Stronger Trade with China

FOREST INDUSTRY AGREES ON NEED TO DEEPEN ECONOMIC TIES WITH CHINA: The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is urging the government to follow through on the conclusion of the Canada-China Economic Complementarities Study which states that Canada and China should continue to strengthen their bilateral trade and investment ties. Canadian forest companies are already working hard to deepen relations with the lucrative consumer market in China.

"WebMD the Magazine" Redesigned

http://www.foliomag.com/2012/webmd-gets-redesign-increases-distribution

Healthy Living title WebMD the Magazine is reintroducing itself this September with a redesigned publication.

“We wanted to modernize the look and feel of our site so we thought it was a really good time to refresh the magazine,” says Heidi Anderson, publisher of the magazine. “From a content perspective, we’ve re-examined the architecture of the magazine to create six distinctive sections that are even more closely mapped to our website.”
Through a combination of frequent readership polls and syndicated research of audiences, the title chose six topics that were of greatest interest to readers—both in print and online—and made them the focal point of the reimagined product. The brand is now broken up into the sections of living healthy, healthy beauty, family & parenting, food & recipes, fitness & exercise, and WebMD Checkup.

Q2 Newspaper Ad Revenues Decline

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/182294/newspaper-revenues-slide-again-online-remains-slu.html

There will be no reprieve for the newspaper industry in 2012, judging by the second quarter of the year, which saw yet another round of dismal returns. Total advertising revenues dipped 6.4% from $6 billion in the second quarter of 2011 to $5.6 billion in the second quarter of 2012, according to the Newspaper Association of America. Print ad revenues dropped 7.9% from $5.2 billion to $4.8 billion, while online ad revenue growth remained anemic with a 2.9% increase from $803 million to $827 million. 

Another State Looks for Revenue from Online Sales

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pa-sales-tax-push-puts-heat-on-online-retailers-3833388.php

Pennsylvania's push to force online retailers to collect sales taxes has hit serious pay dirt — a commitment to do so by Internet giant Amazon.com Inc. — but the struggle is far from over.
Gov. Tom Corbett is eager to collect tens of millions of dollars in new state revenue without technically raising taxes. But consumers still look for tax-free merchandise on the Internet and sellers are happy to fill the orders, pocketing profits while Pennsylvania's bricks-and-mortar retailers are sandbagged by taxes they cannot evade.
Saturday was the deadline for online retailers to register with the state Revenue Department and begin collecting the 6 percent state tax on orders shipped to Pennsylvania — plus local sales taxes of 2 percent in Philadelphia and 1 percent in Pittsburgh — or face potential audits and penalties like in-state merchants.
Officials expect stepped-up compliance to generate $43 million for Pennsylvania's battered state treasury during the 10 months left in the fiscal year that ends June 30.

Magazine Manufacturing and Production Survey Released

The 2012 Magazine Manufacturing and Production Technology Survey: For many years, Folio: and Readex Research have conducted a survey of magazine production professionals—noting their preferences and tendencies on the subject of creating a finished product. This year’s survey contained a few new questions, mainly about technologies for producing digital content, as well as some new measurements of user satisfaction.

Saturday Evening Post Outsources Sales Operation

Saturday Evening Post Outsources Sales Operation:
The Saturday Evening Post, which traces its roots back 300 years, is in the process of reinventing itself. Steven Slon was brought on board early this year as editorial director to put a more contemporary spin on the brand and the magazine is planning a redesign for the fourth quarter. In the meantime, the magazine has outsourced its sales operation to the James G. Elliott Co. to perform a similar overhaul on its ad business.

Publishers Turning to Bureaus for Help

The Evolution of Fulfillment: When you dive into the way the digital edition and app economy works for publishers, you can’t avoid the irony of the big digital newsstand and storefronts of Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Zinio, Next Issue Media, et al. The brand power of those operations is simply too good to refuse, and for many publishers, digital single-copy sales from these sources has been a boon. Yet, we all know about the data and revenue sharing frustrations that come along with some of those partnerships and in the meantime, publishers continue to look for ways to take their digital wares direct to the customer. Here’s where the fulfillment companies have been stepping into the void.

"Women’s Health" Community Outreach Plans

Women’s Health Steps Up Social Sharing of Content:
On the heels of a social summer, Rodale’s Women’s Health is looking to get even more engagement momentum through a variety of community outreach strategies aimed at cultivating its audiences.

Consumers Still Looking for Savings, Coupons

Study Shows Consumers are More Efficient Than Ever Seeking Deals: Valassis, one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies, announced today results of its Fifth Annual RedPlum Purse String Study that indicates consumers' proficiency in seeking deals is saving them both time and money.
Overall, 62% spend up to two hours weekly seeking out savings and save up to $30 each week using coupons.

Two More Mills Announce Coated/SC Increases

Irving Paper has announced a $40.00 per ton price increase on Supercalendered paper, including Irving SCB, Irving SCA and Radiance (SCA+), effective with all new and existing orders shipping on or after October 1. The increase applies to all basis weights.

Catalyst Paper Corp. also announced price increases for certain coated mechanical and Supercalendered papers, effective with Oct. 1 shipments.
The following coated mechanical brands will increase by $60 per ton (C$66 per metric tonne): Pacificote, Electracote Brite, and Electracote.
The following SC brands will increase by $40 per ton (C$44 per metric tonne): Electracal (SCA), and Electraprime (SCB).
The change applies to all brightnesses, finishes, and basis weights.

West Fraser Lowers Pulp Price

West Fraser informed North American customers today that its price for northern bleached softwood kraft (NSBK) would decline $20/tonne, effective September 1 until further notice.

UPM Raflatac Completes Acquisition

UPM Raflatac completes the acquisition of Gascogne Laminates Switzerland
UPM Raflatac has completed its acquisition of the labelstock business operations of Gascogne Laminates Switzerland of the Gascogne Group. The acquisition was announced on 1 June 2012. Gascogne Laminates Switzerland employs approximately 110 people in its operations in Martigny, Switzerland.

FPAC Names CEO

David Lindsay is new President and CEO of Forest Products Association of Canada:
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is today welcoming new leadership as David Lindsay assumes the role of President and CEO at a time of great transformation in the Canadian forestry sector.

AF&PA Files Brief with Supreme Court

AF&PA Files Brief with U.S. Supreme Court: The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has joined other petitioners in a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit decision (NEDC v. Brown) finding that logging roads are “point sources” requiring Clean Water Act industrial discharge permits.

Hearst Names "Cosmopolitan" Editor

http://adage.com/print/237002

Hearst Magazines has named Joanna Coles editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan magazine, succeeding Kate White, the editor-in-chief since 1998.

Ms. Coles has been editor-in-chief at Hearst's Marie Claire since 2006. Her new job atop the much larger Cosmopolitan begins Sept. 10. Ms. White will become an advisor at Hearst, the company said.
Cosmo is the top newsstand magazine in the country, but has been increasingly relying on cheap subscription offers to maintain its large reach among consumers as the industry suffers persistent, large declines in single-copy sales.

USA Launches "Prime" Magazine

http://www.adweek.com/print/143256

This weekend, high school football fans in 11 markets across the country will have the chance to see their favorite local stars highlighted in Prime, the debut magazine from USA Today Sports. The color insert, of which 550,000 copies will be distributed in-school or with Gannett newspapers in select cities from Washington, D.C., to Phoenix, covers both national rankings and local players.

Debut of New MPA Site

http://www.magazine.org/mpa/mpa-unveils-new-wwwmagazineorg-premier-portal-magazine-media-industry

MPA—the Association of Magazine Media, has revamped and reinvigorated its website www.magazine.org [1] to better showcase the strengths of magazine media and improve user experience on one of the most trusted destinations for industry data, trends, research, guidelines, events and more.  The MPA website, widely regarded as the most comprehensive online resource for consumer magazine media information, is accessed by member-magazine media companies, various industry partners and suppliers from the print and digital worlds, the advertising, retail and legislative communities, as well as the press and educational institutions.