Bowater Mersey Indefinitely Idled

Bowater Mersey to be indefinitely idled:

Resolute Forest Products has just announced that it will indefinitely idle the Mersey newsprint mill located in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia.

The facility, owned by Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited (BMPCL), is a joint venture between Resolute (51%) and the Washington Post (49%).

The indefinite idling will be effective on Sunday, June 17, 2012.

Future of Kruger's Corner Brook Still in Doubt

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=23958&popular=1

The Newfoundland Premier has come out swinging against a west coast MP who held a public meeting last night in Corner Brook to release a report on the viability of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.

Premier Kathy Dunderdale told the media today she considers Gerry Bryne's involvement 'irresponsible politics'. Dunderdale says Byrne's suggestion that the Corner Brook Mill is viable and sustainable has misled the workers in a very serious way.

An American paper industry analyst is standing by his company's financial assessment of the mill in Corner Brook.

Catalyst Paper Seeks Amended Plan Approval

Catalyst Paper today announced that it is seeking approval of a further amended Plan of Arrangement (the Amended Plan) under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act and will file tomorrow for approval from the Court to set meetings of its secured and unsecured creditors to consider the Amended Plan (the Meetings). Subject to Court approval, the Meetings are tentatively scheduled for June 25, 2012.

Private Woodlot Owners Competing with Crown Land Supply

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/06/13/nb-private-woodlot-crown-halt.html

The head of the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners is cautiously optimistic that the provincial government’s halt order for cutting lumber on Crown land will be the necessary catalyst to get big forestry companies back at the table. Andrew Clark says the relationship between private woodlot owners and J.D. Irving Limited and Twin Rivers Paper Company has been “confrontational” and “dictatorial". Woodlot owners say they haven’t been able to sell pulpwood for months as a result of an overabundance of product caused by recent mill closings and because forestry companies are taking their supplies from Crown land at low prices. They say their revenues are down $250 million over the last 5 years.

DMA; Direct Mail Response Rates Top Email

DMA finds direct-mail response rates outperform digital: Direct-mail response rates outperform digital programs, according to a report from the Direct Marketing Association. According to the DMA's “2012 Response Rate Report,” response rates for direct mail to existing customers average 3.40%, compared with 0.12% for email.

F+W Sponsors World of Art

http://www.pubexec.com/article/world-art-showcase-partners-with-artists-magazine-southwest-art/1

The World of Art Showcase, a multi-faceted "Celebration of the Senses," inviting renowned and up and coming painters from across the U.S. to share their work with serious collectors, is pleased to announce its new partnership with The Artist's Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine, two longstanding and influential publications owned by F+W Media.

'ENR' to Launch New Print Section

'ENR' to launch Contractor Business Quarterly section: McGraw-Hill Cos.' Engineering-New Record will begin publishing a new print and digital section, called Contractor Business Quarterly, with its July 16 issue.

Q1 Event Revenue Up, Print Falls

BIN: Event revenue up, print down in Q1: In this year's first quarter, events posted a revenue gain, but b-to-b print ad revenue declined, according to Business Information Network figures compiled by American Business Media.

Sappi; Brazil Key Coated Market

Global coated paper producer Sappi aims to increase its market share in Latin America, according to Sappi Trading's CEO, Wayne Rau. The executive stated that coated woodfree paper sales in Brazil have been increasing at a 4-5% pace in the past few years.

Resolute/Fibrek Deal Moves Forward

Resolute Forest Products and Fibrek announce second step arrangement agreement:
Resolute Forest Products Inc.  and Fibrek Inc. have announced that Fibrek has entered into an agreement with RFP Acquisition Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Resolute, for a proposed arrangement to amalgamate and form a new corporation, wholly-owned by Resolute.

Washington State Judge Rules for Nippon Project

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120613/NEWS/306139988/foes-of-port-angeles-biomass-plant-digest-judges-rejection-of-their

Seven environmental groups who oppose a $71 million biomass expansion project under construction at Nippon Paper Industries Inc.'s Ediz Hook plant are pondering their next move after an appeal was rejected in Thurston County Superior Court.

Industrial Production Falls in Euro Zone

In April 2012 compared with March 2012, seasonally adjusted industrial production¹ fell by 0.8% in the euro area² (EA17) and by 0.4% in the EU27². In March³ production decreased by 0.1% and 0.2% respectively.

PwC; Magazines End Revenue Decline in 2012

Magazines to End Recent Revenue Declines: Consumer magazines in the United States will put an end to four years of overall revenue declines in 2012, a new report projected. Total revenue will edge up 0.1 percent, as advertising increases 2 percent and consumer spending on circulation slips 2.5 percent, according to the annual “Global Entertainment and Media Outlook” from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Time Titles Now on Apple Newsstand

http://www.adweek.com/print/141122

Time Inc., the last major publisher missing from the Apple Newsstand, has finally given into the tech giant. Today, the No. 1 U.S. publisher announced that monthly and annual digital subscriptions—as well as single-copy sales—for all 20 of its consumer titles are now available through the Newsstand in U.S. and select international markets. 

HarperCollins Starts Golbal Initiative

http://www.mediabistro.com/appnewser/harpercollins-launches-global-publishing-program_b23748

Publishing company HarperCollins has launched a new global publishing initiative called HarperCollins 360 that will make sure that all HarperCollins books, the global catalog of 50,000 print books and 40,000 e-books, are available in all English-language markets.

Heidelberg Reports Q4 FY 2011 Results

Heidelberg records £122m loss but targets swift recovery:
Its full year results for 2011/12 also revealed a small dip in sales, from €2,629m to €2,596m, while its pre-tax loss ballooned from €143m in 2010/11. Incoming orders slipped by 7% to €2.5bn for the year, while the company's order backlog for the period fell by 20% year-on-year to €506m.

QuadDirect Invests in Effingham Plant

QuadDirect Expands Effingham Direct Mail Capabilities and Capacity:
QuadDirect, a division of Quad/Graphics, Inc. , is setting new records in direct mail production and distribution savings at its Effingham, Ill., facility following a multimillion- dollar investment in new commingling mailing and inline manufacturing equipment and systems.

American Honda Awards RR Donnelley

American Honda Presents Premier Partner Award to RR Donnelley: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company today announced that American Honda has recognized it as a top supplier with its Premier Partner Award.

Resolute Adds Certified Forests Holdings

Resolute Forest Products now manages 10.3 million hectares of certified forests:
Resolute Forest Products has become the largest manager of FSC^® certified forests in the world.
The company recently certified 3.2 million hectares of forestlands in the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec to the FSC Boreal Standard. This certification raises the total area of Resolute-managed FSC-certified forests in North America to 10.3 million hectares, an area twice the size of Nova Scotia and larger than Portugal, Hungary or South Korea.

Domtar Sells Ottawa/Gatineau

http://www.paperage.com/2012news/06_13_2012domtar_hydro_assets.html

Domtar Corporation today announced the signing by its Canadian subsidiary, Domtar Inc. ("Domtar"), of a Definitive Purchase and Sale Agreement ("the agreement") for the sale of its hydro assets in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Québec for $45 million. The purchaser is Energy Ottawa Inc. ("Energy Ottawa"), the renewable energy subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.