Vertis Files for Chapter 11, Quad/Graphics Bids to Buy

Vertis files for Chapter 11 as Quad/Graphics bids to buy assets:
Vertis, which is expected to generate approximately $1.1bn in revenues and nearly $60m in adjusted EBITDA in 2012, issued a statement last week announcing its plan to file for bankruptcy and sell its assets to Quad/Graphics via a court-supervised auction.
The bankruptcy filing is the third since 2008 for US-based direct marketing giant Vertis, which sold off its UK operations in 2005, and comes just two years after it dumped $700m of debt in its previous Chapter 11 filing.

MarketLive Survey: More Holiday Shopping Online

http://www.marketlive.com/marketlive-company/press/101012.html

In 2012, customers will spend about the same amount on holiday gifts as last year—but a greater share of that spending will be online.
Of the more than 1,000 shoppers surveyed, 33% said they will do 'All' or 'Most' of their shopping on the Internet this holiday season. That's a significant jump from last year's 25%.

Gannett Reports Q3 Revenue Growth

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/185173/gannett-revenue-hits-13-bil-broadcast-propels-r.html

For the first time in years, Gannett Co. reported revenue growth in the third quarter, when total revenues reached $1.3 billion, up 3.1% from $1.27 billion in the same period of 2011.
The increase was due mostly to strong growth at its broadcast segment, where revenues increased 36% from $174 million last year to $237 million this year, due mostly to political and Olympics advertising.

Decline in Readers of Print News Continues

Number of Americans Who Read Print Newspapers Continues Decline: According to Pew, only 29% say they read a newspaper yesterday, with just 23% reading a print newspaper. Over the past decade, the percentage reading a print newspaper has fallen by 18 points (from 41% to 23%).

CEP Votes ‘Yes’ to Merging with CAW

CEP vote ‘yes’ to merging with CAW:
Today at the CEP National Convention in Quebec City, the delegates have voted in favour of merging with the CAW.
The vote was over 90% in favour of merging.

European Forest Sectors Strengthen Cooperation

European forest sectors commit to strengthen cooperation
By signing a Memorandum of Understanding last week, the executive directors of four European associations – namely the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF), the European State Forest Association (EUSTAFOR), the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), and the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) - formally committed themselves to strengthen their communication and cooperation in the future.
The four organizations, representing the core of the European forest sector, have a long history of regular communication and frequent cooperation. Forestry plays a prominent role in the work of each association.

Ad Age Names Top Magazine & More

http://adage.com/article/media/ad-age-s-magazine-a-list-marie-claire-magazine-year/237716/

Ad Age Top Magazines of the year:

1. Marie Claire  (from Hearst)

Four print issues this year set ad-sales records for their specific months and September proved to be its biggest ever for this brand.
Marie Claire was followed by: Harper's Bazaar, Food Network Magazine, Architectural Digest, InStyle, Fortune, Allure, Traditional Home, Bon Appetit and Forbes. 
Three More Magazine Brands to Watch: New York Magazine, Departures, Ebony 

Launch of the Year: HGTV Magazine 
Nobody thought Hearst Magazines could repeat the success of Food Network Magazine, a joint venture with Scripps Networks Interactive that took off like a rocket as soon as readers and advertisers were able to get their hands on it. 
Nancy Berger Cardone (Marie Claire) Is Publisher of the Year.

Direct Mail Still a Force in Campaigns

Direct Mail Still a Force in Campaigns: The modern political campaign has fully embraced Twitter, Facebook and other social media to reach voters, but President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney are still spending massive sums on a more traditional form of communication: snail mail.

Magna Global Lowers Ad Forecast

Magna Global downgrades U.S. ad forecast to 0.8% growth next year: Factoring in the absence of political and Olympic advertising, Magna Global downgraded its U.S. ad spending forecast to $154.4 billion next year, up 0.8% over this year. In its July forecast, Magna had projected growth of 0.

Rodale Launches e-Commerce Venture

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/rodale-soon-be-retailer-144459

Maria Rodale calls herself a writer, cook, organic enthusiast and romance novel lover. Now she can add one more to the list: online retailer.
The health and fitness publishing company [1] that bears her name is launching an e-commerce venture that is more aggressive than the typical online retailing efforts coming from magazine publishers lately. Trading on the company’s healthy and eco-friendly image, Rodale’s [2], as the new site will be called, is set to open this spring. It will sell luxury home and beauty products that are also sustainable. Whereas other publishers have taken a cautious approach to e-commerce, limiting their upside, Rodale is aiming for a bigger slice of the pie by handling the whole operation itself, from developing the technology to vetting and acquiring the merchandise and holding the inventory.

Condé Nast Begins Cuts

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/self_hit_by_conde_cutbacks_pGDqBip8i9PFw8jNrBVhFO

Cutbacks started at Condé Nast late yesterday, with a least one corporate vice president and eight editorial staffers on Lucy Danziger’s Self magazine getting the ax.
The cutbacks are expected to continue today, with staffers from Glamour and GQ on the chopping block.

SI Ad Combines Print and Digital

http://www.wbay.com/story/19782641/lexus-sports-illustrated-ad-style-and-technology-together-like-never-before

A new Sports Illustrated Lexus ad just included a new layer to its compelling 2013 ES marketing campaign, merging next-generation technologies with stunning visuals. The result is a never-before-seen convergence of print and digital advertising.

Time Out Magazine Gaining Readers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/12/time-out-lapsed-readers?newsfeed=true

Time Out is claiming lapsed readers have returned to the magazine after it went free last month and increased distribution six fold.
Project director Greg Miall, who oversaw the relaunch, said the weekly magazine had targeted a circulation of 300,000 by the end of the year, but the decision to abandon its cover price entirely has been such a hit with commuters it has achieved its business mission within three weeks.

Writers Upset with Publishers/Goggle Deal

http://www.bloomberg.com/article/2012-10-09/a1hdpZ0yydsM.html

National writers' organizations representing authors of books in a variety of genres believe a secret deal between Google and major book publishers may encourage Google to digitize, use, and sell copyrighted books illegally. The writers' groups ask the Department of Justice to review whether the terms of the secret deal may violate Federal antitrust law.  Google and the Association of American Publishers (AAP) announced October 4 that they had signed a settlement agreement that means the publishers no longer are litigants in an ongoing suit against Google for copyright violations.

Mother Jones’s Dual Cover Strategy

Behind Mother Jones’s Recent Dual Cover Strategy:
For their November/December 2012 issue, the editors and creative director at Mother Jones decided to do a split run cover, with a completely different cover story and image for subscribers and newsstand buyers.

Norske Closing Newsprint PM

http://www.norskeskog.com

The PM2 paper machine at the Norske Skog mill at Kawerau will close on January 9, a Norske Skog spokesperson confirmed today.

The closure of one of the mills newsprint machines, which produces 145,000 tonnes of 685cm newsprint and improved newsprint each year, will halve the production of the mill.

The mill employs 290 staff and the closure is likely to result in layoffs, although the mill will not disclose how many people will lose their jobs.

2012 Finnish Production May Fall -10%

Finnish paper production and exports may drop by up to 10% this year, according to the Pellervo Economic Research (PTT) institute's updated forecast for 2012-2013. This represents a bigger dip than the PTT expected in its spring forecast, when it said levels might fall by up to 7%.

One of the big factors behind this is the economic slowdown in Finland's main export markets.

PWC: Canadian Paper Firms' Earnings

http://www.pwc.com/ca/en/forest-paper-packaging/global-net-earnings-summary.jhtml

The 2012 second quarter net earnings reports for the Canadian forest and paper companies show a distinct quarter to quarter change in fortunes between the Western and Eastern based companies. The lumber and solid wood segment of the industry is experiencing slow but steady improvements, based primarily on the gradually improving US housing market. Northern Bleached Softwood Pulp (NSBK) prices continued to decline from the record highs reached in Q2 2011.

USPS Announces 2013 Prices, Services

USPS Announces New Prices and Services for 2013: WASHINGTON - Beginning early next year, the Postal Service will introduce a First-Class Mail Global Forever Stamp.  The new stamp will allow customers to mail letters anywhere in the world for one set price of $1.10, and is among new mailing and shipping services filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission today.The price for First-Class Mail single-piece letters will increase by just a penny when prices change in Jan. 
http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y12/m10/i12/s01  
Merchants to Be Squeezed by Postage Rate Increase in January 

Online merchants are increasingly feeling the pressure to offer free shipping, but, as they are fond of saying, there is no such thing as free shipping. That point is being driven home this week after the U.S. Postal Service announced it would raise postage rates on January 27, 2013, pending review by the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The popular Priority Mail service will increase overall an average of 6.3%. Retail prices will increase an average of 9%, but the approximately 3% of the increase is for free tracking visibility which will now be included at no charge.

Disney Announces New Paper Sourcing Policy

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-walt-disney-company-establishes-paper-sourcing-usage-policy-22469/

Disney today announced a new Paper Sourcing and Use Policy, establishing guidelines for paper used in Disney's day-to-day business operations as well as its consumer products and packaging. The policy - effective immediately - continues Disney's commitment to responsible forest practices and conservation, and will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will focus on paper sourced directly by Disney or on behalf of Disney for use in Disney-branded products and packaging, and the second will address paper sourced by the Company's independent licensees.

The policy aims to:

Minimize the consumption of paper
Eliminate paper products containing irresponsibly harvested fiber, such as fiber from High Conservation Value Areas
Maximize recycled content and fiber sourced from Forest Stewardship Council-certified forestry operations

Rainforest Action Network commends Disney’s paper sourcing policy:

"Rainforests are more valuable left standing than being pulped for paper," said Rebecca Tarbotton, theExecutive Director of Rainforest Action Network, which worked with Disney on the policy. "Disney is adding its voice to the growing chorus of companies demonstrating that there's no need to sacrifice endangered forests in Indonesia or elsewhere for the paper we use every day.