Tembec Inc. ("Tembec") announced today that it has
reached an agreement to sell its NBSK pulp mill and related assets and
liabilities located in Skookumchuck, British Columbia to Paper Excellence
Canada Holdings Corporation ("Paper Excellence") for a purchase price
of $89 million , which includes working capital. Closing of the transaction is
expected to occur in the second calendar quarter of 2013 and remains subject to
certain conditions and regulatory approvals.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Resolute Releases 2012 Annual Report
Resolute Forest Products today issued its 2012 Annual
Report, which includes an overview of the Company's 2012 sustainability
performance. While Resolute will continue to produce its Annual Sustainability
Report using Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, the Company is now
also integrating sustainability performance information into its annual
financial disclosure.
Russia Lowers Duty on Coated Paper
Russia has once again decided to reduce its import duty on
coated paper from 15% to 5%.
The decision, which was taken on March 19 by the customs
union which Russia formed with Belarus and Kazakhstan, will come into force 30
days from that date. It will be valid for nine months, until January 19, 2014. The measure is aimed at stimulating the development of the domestic publishing industry.
The Kama mill in the Perm region launched its 86,000 tonne/yr LWC PM in 2012, but had to stop production shortly after the start-up due to the financial difficulties of its then managing company Investlesprom.
Ilim Group, which is rebuilding a second-hand PM at its Koryazhma mill in the Arkhangelsk region, is expected to start production on the 70,000 tonne/yr woodfree (CWF) paper PM in June 2013.
The changes in the import duty level have been been a source of continual controversy among Russian market players over the past few years. Certain paper producers have argued that the government should promote domestic production of coated publication paper grades through increased import duties. Representatives of the publishing industry, however, say that the government's decision to decline a permanent 5% import tariff is due to a strong lobby by the large Russian pulp and paper player Ilim Group.
In 2011, Russia imported around 420,000 tonnes of coated publication paper, according to RISI estimates.
Workers End Strike at Nippon WA Mill
When union workers return to their jobs at Nippon Paper
Industries USA today, they will spend several hours warming up the machines
before any paper is produced.
Social Media Ads Least Trusted
Consumers Not Trusting Of Social Media Ads: A Forrester Research survey finds consumers place the least amount of trust in social media marketing, SMS messaging, and internet ad content. The survey of over 62,000 online Americans and 20,000 online Europeans finds consumers on both sides of the pond place the least amount of trust in social media marketing, mobile messaging, and internet ad content.
Highlights: U.S. trust in social media ads (15%), text messages from companies or brands (9%), and ads received via mobile apps (12%) are ranked at the bottom, along with push-marketing banner ads (10%) and email promotions (18%).
Highlights: U.S. trust in social media ads (15%), text messages from companies or brands (9%), and ads received via mobile apps (12%) are ranked at the bottom, along with push-marketing banner ads (10%) and email promotions (18%).
The Art of Making Magazines
If you're reading this, it's a safe bet you
read magazines. Technically, you may even be reading one now—though I'm not
sure if bookforum.com really qualifies. The ".com" might denote
precisely what isn't Bookforum. I'm typing onto a computer screen;
you're reading from one. No trees have been killed. Are we in a magazine? I'm
asking because I don't honestly know.
For now, let's say we aren't. If a magazine still is what it's been for almost three centuries—an ink-on-paper "storehouse" of writing, published on a regular schedule—then the "media industrial revolution" (to use Tina Brown's awkward phrase) is surely in the process of rendering many of our magazines obsolete. Seen historically, The Art of Making Magazines—a collection of twelve lectures by esteemed editors, proofreaders, designers, and writers delivered over the last decade to graduate students at the Columbia School of Journalism—may have barely made its deadline.
For now, let's say we aren't. If a magazine still is what it's been for almost three centuries—an ink-on-paper "storehouse" of writing, published on a regular schedule—then the "media industrial revolution" (to use Tina Brown's awkward phrase) is surely in the process of rendering many of our magazines obsolete. Seen historically, The Art of Making Magazines—a collection of twelve lectures by esteemed editors, proofreaders, designers, and writers delivered over the last decade to graduate students at the Columbia School of Journalism—may have barely made its deadline.
Bloomberg Businessweek Expands Delivery Model
Bloomberg Businessweek, which since December
2010 has been partnering with various newspaper publishers and other delivery
services to hand deliver the weekly magazine, is partnering with Gannett Inc.
to make alternate delivery available in 15 additional U.S. markets.
An alternative to U.S. Postal Service delivery, the Expedited Morning Delivery service is designed to put Bloomberg Businessweek in the hands of subscribers on the earliest day at the earliest delivery time possible, often one or two days earlier than the U.S. mail.
An alternative to U.S. Postal Service delivery, the Expedited Morning Delivery service is designed to put Bloomberg Businessweek in the hands of subscribers on the earliest day at the earliest delivery time possible, often one or two days earlier than the U.S. mail.
Lucky Grows Online Community
Lucky Mag Grows Online Community With Eye on Sponsorship Ops: hrough a user-generated platform, Lucky magazine’s online community now has over 44,000 posts and more than 4,700 contributors that not only helps it to draw readers in, but advertisers as well. “When we think about the Lucky Community, we think of it as a 360-degree program,” says Maura Randall, the brand’s digital managing director. “These women also appear in our print magazine, which is our core piece and their content appears across LuckyMag.com."
26% Own Laptop, Smartphone & Tablet
26% of Americans Own a Laptop, a Smartphone AND a Tablet: Deloitte’s annual "State of the Media Democracy" survey reveals a 160% growth in the number of U.S. consumers who own the trio of tablets, smartphones and laptops, among other findings.
Monday, March 25, 2013
North American P&W Paper Demand Reported
The Pulp & Paper Products Council reported North American demand for coated mechanical paper fell -9.8% in February. Imports rose +3.7% and the operating rate was 87%. Coated woodfree demand declined -5.6%, imports were down -2.4% and the operating rate was 85%. SC-A/SC-A+ demand for the month was up +11.2% and imports rose +23.7%. SC-B/SNC+ demand decreased -6% and imports fell -3.4%. The operating rate for Supercalendered paper was 84%. Uncoated woodfree demand declined -9.4%, imports were down -0.3% and the operating rate was 93%.
AF&PA Reports February P&W Numbers
The American Forest & Paper
Association has released its February 2013 Printing-Writing Paper Report.
According to the report, total
printing-writing paper shipments were down 12 percent from February 2012.
Additional key findings:
February
shipments of coated mechanical (CM) decreased 20 percent compared to
February 2012 to 218,900 tons, the lowest total since before 1995.February shipments of coated free sheet (CFS) papers decreased 5 percent compared to February 2012, with year-to-date CFS shipments up less than 1 percent relative to 2012.
Uncoated free sheet (UFS) papers shipments of 701,700 tons in February were 10 percent below the same period last year, with imports increasing 14 percent year-over-year in January.
February uncoated mechanical (UM) paper shipments decreased 22 percent when compared to February 2012.
EURO-GRAPH Reports Coated, SC Demand
EURO-GRAPH has reported February coated mechanical paper demand fell -8.7%. Exports declined -13.2%. Coated woodfree demand for the month was down -8.1% and exports decreased -0.3%. Supercalendered paper demand fell -5.5%. Exports were up slightly by +0.1%. Uncoated woodfree demand declined -5.9% and exports were down -13.2%.
Resolute Board Chairman Evans Retiring
Resolute Forest Products Inc.
announced today that the board of directors had nominated Michel P. Desbiens
and Jennifer C. Dolan to stand for election as new board members. Mr. Desbiens
and Ms. Dolan will join seven other current members of the board standing for
re-election at Resolute's upcoming annual meeting of stockholders on May 16 ,
2013. Richard B. Evans, currently the Company's non-executive chairman, has
determined that he would retire, and would not stand for re-election. The board
has recommended Bradley P. Martin, a current member, to serve as Resolute's new
[non-executive] chairman, and Alain Rhéaume, also a current member, as lead
director.
IP LA Warehouse Destroyed
International Paper Company's
paper storage warehouse on state Highway 509 in Red River Parish appears to be
a total loss as a blaze raced through the open-air facility late today.
Demand for Graphic Paper in China to Grow
Demand for graphic paper in China will continue: China will continue to experience healthy graphic (printing, writing, & newsprint) paper demand growth over the next decade despite some markets in China already starting to mature. According to a new study released by RISI, healthy economic activity and improved standards of living in China will support demand even as some markets such as newsprint experience displacement by electronic technology. China's Influence on World Graphic Paper Markets in the Coming Decade analyzes China's end use structure to determine how it will affect future graphic paper market growth.
Finnish Legislation May Affect PEFC Certification
http://www.forest.fi/smyforest/foresteng.nsf/allbyid/DB4E97983413CB54C2257B34004754D3?OpenDocument
The Finnish legislation on forest owners’ local associations, that is, Forest Management Associations, is to be revised. The revision will obviously affect the PEFC certification, and in two important ways: in the future membership in the associations will be voluntary and the associations will probably be free to define the geographic area of their activity.
The Finnish legislation on forest owners’ local associations, that is, Forest Management Associations, is to be revised. The revision will obviously affect the PEFC certification, and in two important ways: in the future membership in the associations will be voluntary and the associations will probably be free to define the geographic area of their activity.
At the moment, the
Finnish PEFC group certification is mainly based on the regions covered by
forest owners’ unions, which are the actual bodies applying for and holding the
certificates. The Forest Management Associations are members of these unions.
Forbes, Others Using Enhancement Tool
In a world where half of Facebook
posts are now images, Web editors swoon over responsive design and brands place
photos in tweets, it's clear the Internet has become a more visual place. Now,
one company is looking to exploit the love of pictures with a product that both
editors and advertisers can use to make digital images more interactive,
engaging and, perhaps most importantly, super shareable.
Forbes recently started using ThingLink to enhance its storytelling on the Web, turning a pictorial of the Forbes 400 into an interactive infographic complete with videos, story links and data
Forbes recently started using ThingLink to enhance its storytelling on the Web, turning a pictorial of the Forbes 400 into an interactive infographic complete with videos, story links and data
Magazine Publishers More Optimistic This Spring
There's a little more optimism in the offices
of magazine publishers this spring.
Ad pages in GQ's issues from January
through April have increased 28.2% from the same period last year, according to
the Media Industry Newsletter.After struggling their way through 2012, many titles are enjoying ad page increases in the early months of 2013, and not just the fashion magazines that typically turn out thick March editions. And ad pages across all monthly magazines from January through April declined, but only by 0.9%, according to the Media Industry Newsletter -- an improvement from the 5.6% decline seemed in the period last year.
Daily Variety Out Of Print, Plans a Weekly
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/daily-variety-print-ends_n_2911672.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
The venerable Hollywood trade magazine Daily Variety published its last printed edition on Tuesday, ending an 80-year era by beckoning readers to a recently revamped website and announcing plans to launch a new weekly version of the publication.
The venerable Hollywood trade magazine Daily Variety published its last printed edition on Tuesday, ending an 80-year era by beckoning readers to a recently revamped website and announcing plans to launch a new weekly version of the publication.
The glossy magazine, under new ownership since last autumn, bid farewell to its
daily paper-and-ink audience in a front-page inset headlined: "VARIETY
ANKLES DAILY PUB HUBBUB," using the Variety-coined verb it typically uses
to report departures of studio executives.
Dennis Generates £2 Million from Online Video
Dennis
Publishing has clocked up more than 200 million video views, with 150 million
of those hits on YouTube.
The magazine publisher, which has more than 50 titles including The Week, evo, Men's Fitness and Auto Express, is generating £2 million a year from online video, the managing director of Dennis Interactive told Journalism.co.uk.
The magazine publisher, which has more than 50 titles including The Week, evo, Men's Fitness and Auto Express, is generating £2 million a year from online video, the managing director of Dennis Interactive told Journalism.co.uk.
Senate Passes Marketplace Fairness Act
The controversy over the pending Marketplace Fairness Act (S.336/H.R.684),
is dizzying. First, the big news. The Senate passed it.
See Symbolic Senate Vote Demonstrates Support For Marketplace
Fairness Act. But it really wasn’t
the Act itself but rather a budget amendment, and only in the Senate. So will
it pass?
Not necessarily, but regardless, the days of tax-free clicks are numbered. The Marketplace Fairness Act doesn’t impose a federal tax or even a new state tax. Online sellers are already required to collect sales tax from customers in their own states. But under the Supreme Court’s 1992 holding in Quill v. North Dakota, retailers don’t always have to collect.
They must collect sales tax from out-of-state customers only if they have a physical presence (store, warehouse or office) in the customer’s state. Since then, a growing number of states are extending sales taxes to online retailers with in-state sales affiliates. Amazon recently started collecting tax in Pennsylvania, Texas, California and Connecticut and according to the Marketplace Fairness Act website, is now allied with supporters of the bill.
Not necessarily, but regardless, the days of tax-free clicks are numbered. The Marketplace Fairness Act doesn’t impose a federal tax or even a new state tax. Online sellers are already required to collect sales tax from customers in their own states. But under the Supreme Court’s 1992 holding in Quill v. North Dakota, retailers don’t always have to collect.
They must collect sales tax from out-of-state customers only if they have a physical presence (store, warehouse or office) in the customer’s state. Since then, a growing number of states are extending sales taxes to online retailers with in-state sales affiliates. Amazon recently started collecting tax in Pennsylvania, Texas, California and Connecticut and according to the Marketplace Fairness Act website, is now allied with supporters of the bill.
J.Crew to Open First Store in Europe
Despite a slower fourth quarter
— "net profits fell 32.5 percent to $10.2 million," WWD wrote Wednesday
— J.Crew Group Inc. reported record-breaking numbers for 2012 as a whole, such
as $2 billion in revenues and 39 store openings. And, according to the trade, company officials gave a
rundown of what to expect this year during a conference call yesterday
afternoon. J.Crew plans to add 46 more stores to its fleet (that's sixteen
J.Crews, seventeen Madewells, and thirteen factory outlets), including its
first European location, on Regent Street in London. Other European and some
Asian cities might get their very own J. Crew store, too.
Penton Reorganizes Agriculture Group
Four months after acquiring Farm Progress
Cos. from Fairfax Media, Penton Media has announced a new structure for its
Agricultural Group that integrates the recently added properties.
As part of the restructuring, five Farm Progress brands that overlapped with Penton's geographic coverage—Carolina-Virginia Farmer, Southern Farmer, Mid-South Farmer, The Farmer-Stockman and California Farmer—will be shuttered. Penton's Farm Industry News will be recast to cover technology for production agriculture. Eighteen positions were eliminated in the reorganization.
As part of the restructuring, five Farm Progress brands that overlapped with Penton's geographic coverage—Carolina-Virginia Farmer, Southern Farmer, Mid-South Farmer, The Farmer-Stockman and California Farmer—will be shuttered. Penton's Farm Industry News will be recast to cover technology for production agriculture. Eighteen positions were eliminated in the reorganization.
Judge Rules Against Aggregator of AP Content
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-22/business/37915517_1_internet-news-copyright-fees
A federal judge concluded that an Internet news clipping service essentially resold stories from The Associated Press, saying in a decision released Thursday that the ability of news organizations to perform “an essential function of democracy” is jeopardized when a company merely redistributes the news of others.
Media observers say the ruling
against Meltwater U.S. Holdings Inc. and its Meltwater News Service, if upheld
on appeal, could provide strong protection for the news industry as it struggles
to survive in an Internet age.A federal judge concluded that an Internet news clipping service essentially resold stories from The Associated Press, saying in a decision released Thursday that the ability of news organizations to perform “an essential function of democracy” is jeopardized when a company merely redistributes the news of others.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote rejected Meltwater’s claims that its use of Web stories drawn from a scan of 162,000 news websites from more than 190 countries was a fair use of copyright-protected material.
McGraw-Hill Completes Sale to Apollo
McGraw-Hill completes sale of education unit to Apollo: McGraw-Hill Cos. today completed the sale of its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management. The previously announced purchase price was $2.4 billion in cash. McGraw-Hill Cos.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Wausau Paper to Sell Specialty Papers
Wausau Paper to sell Mosinee, Rhinelander WI Mills:
Wausau Paper (WPP) today announced that it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent to sell its specialty paper business to a new company ("NewCo") to be formed and controlled by investment funds sponsored by KPS Capital Partners L.P. ("KPS"), a New York based private equity firm with significant experience in the paper industry and in completion of complex corporate carve-outs.
KPS has also signed a non-binding Letter of Intent to acquire another company and combine it with the specialty paper business within NewCo. Wausau has the option to have an initial ownership position in NewCo of up to 25 percent with the opportunity to earn up to an additional 5 percent interest upon NewCo reaching certain performance thresholds.
Domtar to Acquire Xerox Paper Business
Domtar Corporation, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of paper in North America, has signed, through its operating subsidiaries, an agreement to acquire Xerox's (XRX) paper and print media products business in the United States and Canada.
While Xerox does not manufacture paper, the company has long distributed through its brand name a broad range of coated and uncoated papers and specialty print media including business forms as well as carbonless and wide-format paper. This business will now become part of Domtar's pulp and paper segment, and Domtar will market and distribute Xerox-branded paper and print media. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2013, subject to customary closing conditions.
Global Pulp Deliveries Up
Global pulp deliveries rose by 1.5% to 3.493 million tonnes
in February, up from 3.442 million tonnes the previous month, according to Pulp
and Paper Products Council (PPPC) data.
Shipments were 1.4% lower than the year-earlier period, down
from 3.544 million tonnes in February 2012.Bleached softwood kraft (BSK) pulp shipments were up from 1.797 million tonnes in January to 1.810 million tonnes in February, while bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) pulp deliveries rose from 1.516 million tonnes in January to 1.566 million tonnes last month.
NA Newsprint Demand Falls, Exports Up
Newsprint demand by North American newspapers in the
seasonally weak month of February tumbled 17% compared with February 2011,
bringing its year-to-date decline to 11%, according to the Pulp and Paper
Product Council's latest statistics.
Demand by commercial printers also fell 1.2% last month,
reflecting tougher annual comparisons for newsprint for end uses other than
newspapers, bringing the demand decline for the two categories combined to
14.1% in February and 9.0% year-to-date.Offshore shipments surged 29,000 tonnes or 21.2% in February, led by a 47.3% increase in exports to non-Japan Asia and 19.8% increase in deliveries to Latin America.
Newton Falls Equipment Sold
Despite fears, there may still be hope for
the idled Newton Falls Fine Paper Mill to resume production.
That's because the mill property and
its equipment has been purchased at auction by a mystery buyer.The mill's inventory was being sold at an auction in Syracuse Thursday. Economic development officials feared the lack of equipment would kill any chances the mill would reopen.
7 News has learned the mill's current owner,
Scotia Investments of Nova Scotia, has accepted a single bid for all the
equipment from "an international group."
Canada's Budget Supports Forestry Innovation
The 2013-14 federal budget today reinforces the nation's
forestry innovation opportunity says FPInnovations, Canada's forest sector R&D
and innovation institute. This government's continued support of forestry
innovation and market development programs is recognition that the forest
sector remains a key growth area for the Canadian economy.
"The 2013-14 budget recognizes that forestry R&D remains a vital engine of growth for the future", stated Pierre Lapointe, President and CEO of FPInnovations. "Canada can point to innovations such as award-winning cellulose nanocrystal research, multi-storey wooden buildings, and cellulose filaments as clear examples of recent developments. Today's federal budget, earmarking $92 million over two years starting in 2014-15 for the forest sector, ensures that we continue to build on these world leading successes."
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the additional support for innovation and market development unveiled in today's budget and also applauds the government's focus on skills training.
"The 2013-14 budget recognizes that forestry R&D remains a vital engine of growth for the future", stated Pierre Lapointe, President and CEO of FPInnovations. "Canada can point to innovations such as award-winning cellulose nanocrystal research, multi-storey wooden buildings, and cellulose filaments as clear examples of recent developments. Today's federal budget, earmarking $92 million over two years starting in 2014-15 for the forest sector, ensures that we continue to build on these world leading successes."
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the additional support for innovation and market development unveiled in today's budget and also applauds the government's focus on skills training.
This Old House Debuts Wayfair.com
This Old House and Wayfair.com,
an online retailer of home furnishings, have unveiled the This Old House Shop
on Wayfair.com. This is the first e-commerce venture for This Old House and it
will allow readers to shop looks and products inspired by the pages of the
magazine directly on Wayfair.com.
UBM Closes Information Week, CRN Print Editions
UBM is preparing to announce that it's shutting
down two iconic print brands in its Tech division, with major layoffs, two
sources have told Folio:. InformationWeek and CRN will close their print
editions, according to the sources, and more than 100—perhaps as many as 300—employees
will be let go.
MediaPost Mag Bag
Meredith Expands in Turkey, Italy
Caine Leaves Time Inc. for Dial Global
Southern Living Names New Food Appointments
The Atlantic Gets Video From NowThisNews
Washington Examiner Morphs to Weekly Print Magazine
Clarity
Media Group executives today announced a major shift in the business model of The Washington
Examiner, becoming a digital platform and
weekly print magazine focused on political news and thought leadership.
AARP Rolls Out Social Monetization
AARP Rolls Out Social Monetization: AARP, the association for those aged 50-plus and publisher of the largest circulation magazine in the country, is taking advantage of Facebook to not only reach its core membership, but to offer advertisers integrated ad buys as well.
Google Closes Print Edition of Frommer's
Why Google is Pulling the Plug on Frommer's: Sales of guidebooks are down sharply as people instead turn to sites like TripAdvisor for hotel and restaurant reviews. The industry's decline was hammered home recently with two big developments. The latest came Thursday with word that Google (GOOG) planned to kill the print edition of Frommer's, the travel guide giant it acquired last year. Google declined to comment, although Skift, a travel news site, reported that Google's editors had already broken the news to authors of some upcoming titles.
GAO Says USPS Must Comply with Six-Day Provision
GAO Says USPS Must Comply with Six-Day Provision: In a letter addressed to Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) deemed Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe's claim that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) isn't obliged to comply with the six-day delivery provision as a “faulty USPS premise.” Through this interpretation, the USPS is legally compelled to “continue six-day delivery and rural delivery of mail at not less than the 1983 level.” In effect, this means the GAO rejects that the USPS can reduce mail delivery service to five days.
Make Bill Paying Easier with BREs
Will Saturday Mail Stoppage Mean Booming Business for BREs?:
One of the biggest concerns is for bill payments since consumers will have one less day for their payments to arrive. But Gene Del Polito, president of Postcom, made an interesting observation. If that’s a concern, why not make paying bills easier? Free online bill pay (that is one of my pet peeves — billers who charge for online payments that save them money and improve their cash flow anyway) or pre-paid BREs if they aren’t offering them already.
One of the biggest concerns is for bill payments since consumers will have one less day for their payments to arrive. But Gene Del Polito, president of Postcom, made an interesting observation. If that’s a concern, why not make paying bills easier? Free online bill pay (that is one of my pet peeves — billers who charge for online payments that save them money and improve their cash flow anyway) or pre-paid BREs if they aren’t offering them already.
Leading Economic Index Increases, PMI Up
Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. Increases: The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. rose 0.5 percent in February to 94.8 (2004 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in January, and a 0.4 percent increase in December.
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2013-03-21/economy/37886972_1_new-orders-and-employment-markit-slower-rate
March U.S. flash manufacturing PMI rises to 54.9 The U.S. flash manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to a 54.9 reading in March from 54.3 in February. A level above 50 indicates an expansion in activity
March U.S. flash manufacturing PMI rises to 54.9 The U.S. flash manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to a 54.9 reading in March from 54.3 in February. A level above 50 indicates an expansion in activity
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