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.