Pacific West: Port Hawk. Deal Still On Track

Pacific West held a status call this morning to reassure interested parties that the company was on track, despite recent setbacks, to close the deal on the Port Hawkesbury mill and to restart the 400,000 tpy Supercalendered paper machine. The closing is scheduled for 9/28 and they expect to start making paper two days later. They will begin manufacturing 35# SC-B, for which they have orders, and are looking actively looking for additional business.
http://www.energy-business-review.com/news/ns-power-solicits-interest-from-biomass-suppliers-for-its-port-hawkesbury-plant-210912 

Nova Scotia Power sought an expression of interest from bidders to supply biomass and related services for its under construction plant at Port Hawkesbury in UK.
The company is looking for 500,000t of biomass fuel for its 60MW biomass plant, expected to be operational in 2013.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/99328--revamped-deal-for-shuttered-cape-breton-paper-mill-not-in-danger-says-minister

A provincial funding package considered vital to resume operations at the NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill is not in danger of unravelling despite delays in announcing details of the deal, Nova Scotia's natural resources minister said Thursday.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/138022-ns-downplays-mill-aid-s-effect 
The province isn’t worried that the millions it is investing to support the sale of the NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill may trigger American trade reprisals.

“The province has done its due diligence and feels it’s a defensible position, and is on solid ground,” government spokesman Lucas Wide said Thursday.

Strike at UPM's Stracel Mill

Employees have downed tools at UPM's Stracel mill in northeastern France. Production was stopped on Wednesday morning and the unions have yet to decide when it will end.

A UPM spokesperson said the strike has no impact on deliveries to customers, as the company can use paper from other mills.

UPM has been trying to find a buyer for the Stracel mill, which houses one PM capable of manufacturing some 280,000 tonnes/yr of lightweight coated and machine-finished coated paper, since more than a year.

USPS: Need Comprehensive Legislation

USPS Stresses Comprehensive Legislation Key to Future: Postal Service focuses on innovation to create growth opportunitiesIn his annual state of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe today emphasized that the Postal Service has a solid business plan to return to long-term financial stability and that nothing will have a bigger impact on the health and future of the mailing industry than resolving legislative issues.

PIA Unveils Monthly Industry Conditions Dashboard

PIA Unveils New Monthly Industry Conditions Dashboard: As a new exclusive service to members, Printing Industries of America has developed a monthly industry conditions dashboard. The Monthly Print Market Dashboard allows members of the association to assess current market conditions in their local market areas and nationally on an ongoing basis each month.

Meredith’s Guarantee Program's First Year

Meredith’s Sales Guarantee Program Nearing One Year: As Meredith’s Sales Guarantee Program is coming up on its first year in the market, EVP and president of sales Dick Porter is pleased with the way the initiative has worked to this point.

Disney Is Top Media Co. In Profits

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/183540/disney-is-tops-in-profits-news-corp-drops.html?print 
Walt Disney Co. continues to have the biggest quarterly profits of any media company, while longtime No. 2 News Corp. recently dropped -- substantially -- according to new analysis.
Media research SNL Kagan says Disney retains its top spot with $2 billion net profits in the second quarter of 2012, a 22% gain over the period in 2011. The new No. 2 is Thomson Reuters, which pulled in $935 million, a 63% gain.

Scholastic Reports FY 2013 Q1 Results

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/20/4837517/scholastic-reports-fiscal-2013.html

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education and media company, today reported results for the fiscal 2013 first quarter ended August 31, 2012. 
Revenue in the fiscal 2013 first quarter was $293.6 million, compared to $318.0 million in the prior year period.  The net loss per share from continuing operations was $1.02, compared to $0.81 in the prior year period, which included one-time expenses of $0.04.  Scholastic typically records a loss in its fiscal first quarter, when most U.S. schools are not in session and its School Book Clubs and Fairs generate minimal revenue.

Maxim Lowers Rate Base, Editions

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/maxim-reduces-rate-base-frequency-2013-143873

Maxim magazine, the lone survivor of Alpha Media’s laddie mag boom-and-bust (Stuff and Blender folded in 2007 and 2009, respectively), is shrinking its rate base, continuing a trend among big-circulation magazines like Playboy [1], Reader's Digest [2] and Newsweek.
The magazine’s media kit [3] lists the 2013 rate base at 2 million—a 20 percent decrease from its current rate base of 2.5 million. Maxim also is combining its December and January magazines for a total of 10 issues, down from 11 this year.

"Lucky" Launches New Title

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/lucky-publishes-sip-lucky-style-guide-143860#1

Lucky, which has existed to tell stylistas what to buy, will now attempt to tell them what to do with their fashion finds with its first special-interest publication, The Ultimate Style Guide.
The newsstand-only magazine will go on sale from Sept. 21 through Dec. 31.

Top Publishers Ally with SFI

Top Publishers Ally with SFI (Going Green):
Time Inc., the National Geographic Society, Macmillan, and Pearson—have teamed up with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) to hopefully spur interest in chain of custody certification for wood products—in this case, paper.

Obstacles Grow for Port Hawk. Restart

http://foresttalk.com/index.php/2012/09/20/no-special-power-deal-being-offered-to-pacific-west-commercial-corp/

As ForestTalk.com suspected, Nova Scotia Power is no longer offering a special discount power rate to Pacific West Commercial Corp.  now that the advanced tax ruling is off the table.
The advanced tax ruling would have allowed Nova Scotia Power to become a 30% equity partner in the mill and receive a combination of preferred and common shares of the newly created Port Hawkesbury Paper.
At this time, it seems unlikely that the sale of the mill to Pacific West Commercial Corp. will proceed.

No Word on Catalyst Mill Sale

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/170248906.html 

With just hours to go before the scheduled closure of the $8.6 million sale of the Catalyst Paper Elk Falls site, a cone of silence smothers efforts to confirm the status of the deal.

The sale was announced Aug. 16 and was first scheduled to complete by Sept. 5, however, the date came and went with Catalyst scrambling to clear the property of valuable leftovers. At that time, Brown told the Mirror the closing date for the sale had been extended to Sept. 19.

IP to Acquire Packaging Plants, Turkey

http://www.internationalpaper.com/US/EN/Company/Media/IPNews.html

International Paper, today, announced it entered into a binding agreement with Sabanci Holdings to purchase their stake in the companies' Olmuksa joint venture in Turkey.

The joint venture, headquartered in Istanbul, was formed in 1998 and has grown to become a market leader in corrugated packaging in Turkey. The company operates two recycled containerboard mills and six box plants.

European NBSK Price Increase

http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/archive/2012/september/Artikel/nbsk-pulp-producers-plan-to-raise-prices-as-of-october.html

Starting in October, prices for softwood pulp on the European market are set to rise again for the first time in five months. The first producers have announced plans for hikes for NBSK pulp.
The targeted price adjustment for October depends on the European paper industry's response after the summer holidays. At the moment, industry experts are predicting a normal rise in demand after the summer. After a very weak August, the order volumes are starting to pick up again a bit in mid-September, EUWID was told.

AF&AP: Boxboard Production Falls 0.8% in August

AF&AP Release August 2012 Paperboard Report: Total boxboard production decreased by 0.8 percent compared to August 2011 but increased 2.2 percent from last month.  Unbleached Kraft Boxboard production decreased over the same month last year and decreased compared to last month.  Total Solid Bleached Boxboard & Liner production increased compared to August 2011 and increased compared to last month.  The production of Recycled Boxboard increased compared to August 2011 and increased when compared to last month.

Households Making $100K: 82% Read Print

Households Making $100K+ Remain Heavy Print Users: A survey shows that households making 100K+ continue to "reaffirm the power of the hard copy print publications in their lives, even as tablet and smartphone penetration grows disproportionately in this demographic."
The survey finds that 82% of Affluents regularly read at least one of the 150 measured and reported print publications (143 magazines and 7 national newspapers). The total duplicated average-issue audience (AIA) is more than 221 million, reflecting that America’s 59 million Affluents read an average of 18.7 issues across an average of 8.2 titles. Comparing publications measured in both 2011 and 2012, Affluent average-issue audience was relatively stable at -1.3%.

Atlantic Media Names SVP-Group Publisher

Atlantic Media promotes Lauf to senior VP-group publisher: Atlantic Media Co. has promoted Jay Lauf, VP-publisher of The Atlantic, to senior VP-group publisher of Atlantic Media Co. and publisher of Quartz, the company's business news brand that launches next Monday.

Hearst Prepares for Leadership Change

http://www.pubexec.com/aggregatedcontent/hearst-prepares-end-frank-bennack-era

Frank Bennack, chief executive of Hearst, is preparing to hand over the reins to Steven Swartz, his chief operating officer ushering in a new era for one of the world’s largest private media companies.
“We have a very bright and able chief operating officer. Specific dates and movements to succession haven’t been set or announced, but it’s clear that they’re not far into the future and that I’m working very hard with him,” Mr Bennack told the Financial Times.

Newspaper Employment Down 40.6% Since '01

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/183378/newspaper-jobs-shrink-40-in-10-years.html?print

While plenty of industries have shrunk over the last couple of years, few have been hit as badly as newspaper publishing, which was already contracting before the economic downturn began. Since then, economic woes have simply reinforced the long-term trend.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total employment in the newspaper publishing industry has plunged from 414,000 in 2001 to 246,020 in 2011, equaling a 40.6% drop in 10 years.

Quad/Graphics Actable & Milwaukee Magazie Interactive Issue

Quad/Graphics Actable Brings Milwaukee Magazine to Life: Every page is interactive, offering amazing and engaging reader experiences for editorial and advertising content. Quad/Graphics, Inc., announced today that its Actable interactive print solutions helped Milwaukee Magazine create its first entirely interactive issue. The October "Best of 2012" issue, on newsstands this week, features 146 image recognition and augmented reality experiences that readers can launch on their Actable-enabled smartphones and other mobile tablet devices.

Vertis Sells Its Prepress Packaging Assets

Vertis Sells Its Prepress Packaging Assets to SGS: Vertis Holdings and SGS International announced an agreement under which SGS will further augment its complete, design-to-print packaging solutions with the purchase of additional prepress packaging equipment, data files and certain related assets from Vertis.

BD White Birch Investment Completes Acquisition

BD White Birch Investment LLC completes acquisition of White Birch Paper Company:
BD White Birch Investment LLC today announced the successful completion of the acquisition of the assets of White Birch Paper Company. The completion of the acquisition represents the successful culmination of a nearly three year restructuring process, resulting in the formation of a newly revitalized and competitive enterprise.

Still No Union Agreement at Kruger Mill

http://www.thewesternstar.com/News/Local/2012-09-18/article-3077218/Still-no-deals-for-mill%26rsquos-trade-unions/1

It's been almost three months since the other unions inside the mill agreed to new collective agreements, but the two trades unions at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper are still without new contracts of their own.

Harbor Paper Restarts UFS Mill

Harbor Paper in Hoquiam, WA, started up a 75,000 tons/yr uncoated freesheet (UFS) paper machine No. 2 on Sept. 12, in line with what it had announced five weeks ago, and was working to restart the 80,000 tons/yr UFS PM 1 by mid-October, company pres/CEO John Begley told PPI Pulp & Paper Week today.

Oji Stops Coated Machine Production

Oji Paper has halted production on the sole paper machine at its Nantong mill in China for three days due to the anti-Japan unrest in the country.

A spokesman for Jiangsu Oji Paper, Oji's subsidiary that operates the plant in Nantong city, Jiangsu province, said that whether the 400,000 tonne/yr coated fine paper machine at the facility resumes production on September 19 as planned initially will depend on the situation.

China Files Dispute Against US Duties

On 17 September 2012, China notified the WTO Secretariat of a request for consultations with the United States on countervailing and anti-dumping measures applied to a wide range of products exported by China to the US. Among the products cited by China, affected by the measures, are paper, steel, tyres, magnets, chemicals, kitchen appliances, wood flooring, and wind towers.

Paperlinx Chairman Resigns

Paperlinx chairman resigns along with two board members:
He and non-executive directors Lyndsey Cattermole and Anthony Clarke announced their resignations today (19 September), with plans to leave in less than two weeks.

RH Continues with Unique Approach, "First of Kind" Catalogue

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Restoration-Hardware-catalog-a-huge-feat-3866807.php
RH (Restoration Hardware) is bucking a trend with its book-size mailing, advertising experts say. In recent years, retailers have scaled back on the size of their catalogs, used thinner paper and in some cases are sending out fewer per year. Restoration Hardware may be publishing its "source book" just twice a year, but the product - three companion pieces totaling 992 glossy, artfully styled pages of merchandise - shows no signs of skimping. The hope, say industry insiders, is that the breadth of the catalog will keep consumers from chucking it into the trash after a quick flip through, and it will instead become a lifestyle guide kept on hand for months.

Restoration Hardware executives have gone as far as to call the books "a first-of-its-kind hybrid of catalog, magazine and inspiration file."

Printed Inserts Market Grows

Printed inserts market grows despite impact of NOTW closure:
Saturday supplements carried the largest amount of inserts in Q4 2011 (359m), just over a third of the total 1bn across daily papers and weekend newspapers and supplements for the period, according to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Inserts Council report, published on 11 September.
Sunday newspapers showed the biggest growth in the second half of 2011 when they grew by 108% in Q3 compared to same period in the previous year (18.2m to 37.8m).

Quad/Graphics Rebrands Polish Subsidiary

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2012/09/17/quadgraphics-rebrands-polish-subsidiary.html

Quad/Graphics Inc. announced Monday it is rebranding its Poland-based commercial printing subsidiary, QuadWinkowski, as Quad/Graphics.
Winkowski Logistics will change its name to Quad Logistics Europe, Quad/Graphics said.

Scholastic Offers XBOOKS to Students

http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/new-nonfiction-program-xbooks-designed-specifically-meet-common-core-state-standards-n

As students head back to school, districts are looking for classroom resources to help teachers fill key instructional gaps to meet the new, more rigorous Common Core State Standards.
To meet this need, Scholastic Classroom and Community Group is offering XBOOKS™, a nonfiction language arts program for middle schools, provides a collection of compelling informational texts in print and digital formats steeped in critical need-to-know science and social studies content.

Next Issue Media Ads More Titles to iPad

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/next-issue-for-ipad-catalog-grows-to-72-titles-170130176.html

Next Issue Media, a joint venture formed by five leading U.S.-based publishers – Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp. and Time Inc. – today announces 31 new titles, expanding the catalog for iPad^® subscribers to 72 popular magazines.  This expansion comes just two months after the launch of Next Issue for iPad and extends the value proposition for customers, offering unlimited access to all titles for a single, low monthly price.

Apple Places Few Magazine Ads

Magazine Publishers & The iPad: An Unrequited Love:
Apple hasn’t promoted the tablet computer in MPA member magazines since summer 2011 when they made a brief appearance within the industry’s pages, with the latest iPad campaign in magazines appearing from May-July 2011. During that time there were 21 ad pages placed strategically among 21 MPA monthly magazines, all with the same creative.
Why would they? Magazine publishers have been doting over the product and Apple not only with each other at industry events, or to media journalists like this reporter, but they have, essentially, been running ads for them.

eMarketer Forecast Robust Holiday Sales

http://www.emarketer.com/PressRelease.aspx?R=1009350

US retail ecommerce holiday sales (excluding travel) will reach $54.5 billion in 2012, up 16.8% over last year, according to eMarketer estimates.

Condé Nast Cutting Ad Budgets

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/cond-faces-more-cuts-143820

Condé Nast is asking its publishers to cut 5 percent from their budgets as the weak ad market is expected to bleed into the second half and beyond, company sources tell Adweek.

Newsweek Daily Beast Names CEO

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/newsbeast-brings-new-ceo-143829

The Newsweek Daily Beast Co. has named a new CEO as Barry Diller’s IAC forges a new path for the news outlet and faces fresh questions about its future. Baba Shetty [1], chief strategy officer/chief media officer at the ad agency Hill Holiday, is now CEO of NewsBeast, replacing Stephen Colvin, who had been with the Beast since its launch in 2009.

FedEx Increasing Rates

http://news.van.fedex.com/fedex-express-increase-shipping-rates

FedEx Corp. will increase shipping rates for FedEx Express by a net average of 3.9% for U.S. domestic, U.S. export and U.S. import services effective January 2, 2012.

The full average rate increase of 5.9% will be partially offset by adjusting the fuel price threshold at which the fuel surcharge begins, reducing the fuel surcharge by two percentage points.