IP & Temple-Inland Extend Merger Deadline

International Paper, Temple-Inland extend date for merger:
International Paper Co. and Temple-Inland Inc. have agreed with the U.S. Justice Department to extend the review period for a merger between the two companies until Jan. 27.
The original date for the companies to finalize the merger was Dec. 31. Memphis-based International Paper also extended the internal transition deadline of the merger from June 6 to June 28.

Sappi Reports Major NA Investment

Sappi Limited announces major investment in North American operations: Sappi Limited announced 11/10/2011 the approval of a US$170 million capital project to convert the kraft pulp mill in Cloquet, Minnesota to chemical cellulose used in textile and consumer goods markets and approved capital plans that call for a US$13 million project to upgrade coated paper manufacturing at the Sappi Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine.

Fibrek’s Board Rejects Resolute Bid

Fibrek’s Board rejects unsolicited insider bid by AbitibiBowater:
Fibrek Inc. announced today that its Board of Directors has unanimously rejected the unsolicited insider bid of AbitibiBowater Inc. (carrying on business as Resolute Forest Products) for all issued and outstanding common shares of the company.

Resolute Forest Products Workers Unite

Canadian/American Resolute Forest Products workers unite:
American and Canadian union members who work for forest industry giant Resolute Forest Products (formerly AbitibiBowater) have joined forces to “speak with one voice” to the company.

About 100 union delegates from 10 Canadian Resolute mills in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia and 4 US mills in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama met this weekend in Montreal and adopted a solidarity pledge to work to coordinate activities and work together leading to 2014 pattern and master agreement negotiations with the company in both countries.

Stora Enso's Langerbrugge SC PM Rebuild

PMT Italia to upgrade PM3 press section at Stora Enso's Langerbrugge mill in Gent, Belgium: Stora Enso Langerbrugge Mill located in Gent, Belgium has selected PMT Italia S.p.A. as the supplier for the PM 3 Press Section Upgrade.The start-up is planned for March 2012. PM3, a 6,5 m wide machine producing SC paper, will be rebuilt by partly replacing the existing Press Section steel framework with a completely new stainless steel one, giving PM3 a longer life time and providing the necessary flexibility for future implementations as well as the development in press technology.

Wausau Paper Sells Remaining Timberlands

Wausau Paper Selling Timberland Holdings:
Wausau Paper is selling its remaining timberland holdings. According to a news release from the company, it totals about 80,200 acres in Northern Wisconsin worth $42.9 million.

Editor-in-Chief Named for Everyday with Rachael Ray

Meredith Hires Lauren Purcell as EIC of Everyday with Rachael Ray: Meredith Corp. has found its editor-in-chief for Everyday with Rachael Ray. Lauren Purcell, who was most recently executive editor at Condé Nast's Self, will start January 9.

USPS, Two Postal Unions Extend Talks Again

USPS, Two Postal Unions Extend Contract Talks: The Postal Service and two of its major unions have agreed to extend separate labor contract negotiations until Jan. 20, 2012. Contracts with the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union expired at midnight Sun., Nov. 20, 2011. The deadline for the talks has been extended twice before.

Magazine & Catalogue News Roundup

Magazine and Catalogue News Roundup

Reader’s Digest Association is cutting 150 positions, half of which are in the U.S., by the end of the year.  The company said the moves are part of its plan to focus on its core, or “master”, brands, Reader’s Digest, Taste of Home and The Family Handyman.

Source Interlink ‘s GrindMedia has acquired Baseball America, which is published 26 times a year and has an average circulation of 32,300.

Oriental Trading Co., the largest direct retailer of party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties in the U.S., is introducing new digital catalogues accessible via iPads.

Hearst has purchased a Commander CL offset press from Koeing & Bauer AG for its Albany Times Union newspaper.  The press is scheduled to come online in 2013.

F+W Media acquired Script Magazine from Final Draft.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.  The magazine will no longer be printed; subscribers will receive Writer’s Digest in its stead.

American Media announced a new printing schedule for its OK magazine, a move designed to cut costs; the title will be printed almost a week before it goes to newsstands, unlike other celebrity weeklies, which wait as long as possible before initiating the production process.

Immediate Media’s Top Gear and Aurasma have created “a fully augmented print magazine.”  After downloading a free app, readers can point their smart phones or tablets at the printed pages of the magazine and see highlights from the Top Gear television show.

Summit Business Media is closing its Florida Underwriter magazine after its December issue.  The title focused on the insurance industry.

New York Times CEO Janet Robinson is stepping down by the end of the year.  Chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. will assume the responsibilities of the position until a new CEO is found.

TIME has named Michael Duffy as Executive Editor.  Mr. Duffy is currently the Washington Bureau Chief.

The Virginia Quarterly Review has named Jon Parrish Peede as publisher.  Mr. Peede was the director of literature for the National Endowment of the Arts.

Vertis Closing Plant

The Vertis Communications plant in Saugerties, NY will close Jan. 7 because, they said, of economic conditions. The plant employs 150 people and produces advertising inserts.

Digital Production Print in 2011

The close of the year end is always a good time to look up from dayto-day business and review the important news that happened during the year. Overall 2011 proved to be a pretty decent year for digital production printing. Installations of digital production printing equipment were on the rise again, after recovering from a drop in 2009 in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

NRF Expects Sales to Rise 3.8%

The National Retail Federation has revised its holiday forecast upward, expecting holiday sales to rise 3.8% this year to a record $469.1 billion. NRF's initial forecast, announced on Oct. 6, called for anticipated sales growth of 2.8%. A 3.8% sales increase is considerably above the ten-year average sales increase of 2.6%.

$1.1 Billion Spent Online for Green Monday

comScore has reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 42 days of the November - December 2011 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date through December 12, $26.8 billion has been spent online, marking a 15% increase versus the corresponding days last year.

Commercial Printing Profits Up Eight Consecutive Quarters

US commercial printing industry profits were up in the third quarter of 2011, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of positive results. Though the industry has been going through hard times in terms of sales, rising profits have been a sign of the industry’s restructuring and the departure of its weakest establishments.

For the last four quarters, inflation-adjusted profits were $3.96 billion, and finally exceeded the low level of 2005. These were the best four-quarter profits level since the four-quarter period ending in 2007, when profits were $4.3 billion, and inflation adjusted sales were $112 billion, about $27 billion more than the $85 billion that has been estimated for 2011.

Reader's Digest Makes Job Cuts

Reader's Digest has eliminated 150 positions across all of its business groups worldwide, with half the cuts affecting jobs in the U.S. and the other half international.
The cuts are aligned with an effort to focus on the company’s “master brands,” including Reader’s Digest, Taste of Home and The Family Handyman, “that have the greatest potential to grow across multiple platforms and through new revenue streams, such as partnerships and licensing in markets around the world,” a Reader’s Digest spokesperson writes in an email to FOLIO.

Resolute Forest Products Moves Forward in Fibrek Acquisition

Resolute Forest Products (formerly AbitibiBowater) has formally commenced its offer to buy all issued and outstanding shares of Fibrek Inc., a producer of market pulp.  Based on Fibrek’s most recent publicly disclosed number of shares, the maximum amount of cash available under the offer is C$71,541,556. 

Catalyst Paper Reviewing Debt Structure, Defers Interest Payment

Catalyst Paper reported that while it continues its review of alternatives to address its capital structure, it will defer the ~$21 million interest payment on its outstanding 11% Senior Secured Notes due 2016 and Class B 11% Senior Secured Notes also due 2016.  The payment is due today.  The company said operations are expected to continue as usual and obligations to customers, suppliers and employees will be met in ordinary course.  Catalyst has 30 days within which to make the interest payment before triggering default.  Failure to do so would allow 2016 Note holders to declare the $390 million principal and accrued interest immediately due and payable.  If that demand were not satisfied in thirty days, it would constitute a default under the indenture relating to the company’s $250 million outstanding 7.375% Senior Notes due 2014.

Hearst’s Popular Mechanics Tries Personalized Ads

Though magazines have had the ability to publish customized editions for some time, the technology is evolving, allowing for less expensive production of individualized copies with, importantly, accountability measures to track results, always a key for advertisers.

300,000 subscribers to Popular Mechanics received customized content with their November issues; the magazine was bundled with an outsert from Hewlett-Packard that featured the recipient’s name and a scene of their hometown.  A 16-page insert in the magazine informed the reader of specific locations for HP products.  The promotion also contained URLs directing subscribers to an online contest, providing some indication (and measurement) of interest in the ads; 3% entered the contest, but 85% of the contestants clicked on QR codes in the insert that linked to more information on HP printers.

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/can-personalized-ads-save-magazines-137134

Source Interlink’s Buys Baseball America

In a move to expand its traditional sports portfolio, Source Interlink's GrindMedia bought Baseball America magazine and accompanying properties. Baseball America’s original staff will remain in the magazine’s Durham, North Carolina-based offices.

Heidelberg to Launch Digital Printing Portfolio

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is on the final stretch with the international market launch of its digital printing portfolio and is due to complete this by drupa 2012. The portfolio comprises the Ricoh Pro C901 Graphic Arts Edition digital printing system and the new Pro C751 series, which is available in the Pro C751, Pro C751 EX, and Pro C651 EX versions.