Initial Reaction to Verso Move Positive

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-07-03/verso-paper-shares-soar-on-proposed-newpage-deal

Verso Paper Corp.'s shares soared Tuesday after the paper company said it's talking with stakeholders of NewPage Corp. about bidding for the rival company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September.

Verso's shares rose 56 cents, or nearly 48 percent, to close Tuesday at $1.73. Shares of the Memphis, Tenn.-based company have traded between 85 cents and $3.36 in the past 52 weeks.

NS Offers $1 Million Fund for Private Owners

Nova Scotia providing $1 million fund for building and maintaining private woodlot roads:
The province of Nova Scotia is making $1 million available so private woodlot owners, including those in Queens County and the South Shore, can access more of their forest land.
The provincial fund is helping woodlot owners build and maintain woodlot roads.

Argentina Imposes Coated Woodfree Duties

http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/archive/2012/july/Artikel/argentina-imposes-anti-dumping-duties-on-cwf-paper.html

Argentina has imposed anti-dumping duties on imports of woodfree coated paper from the U.S., Finland, Austria and China. According to resolution 298/2012 issued on 21 June 2012 in the official gazette of the Argentine Republic, the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance decided to impose the anti-dumping duties in order to ensure fairer competition for local manufacturers.

CAW and CEP Discuss Merger

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/draft+merger/6881730/story.html

The Canadian Auto Workers union and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada have taken a "critical step" toward the merger of two of the country's largest private sector labour organizations.

Valassis Cuts Michigan Workforce

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120703/FREE/120709975

Livonia-based direct mail and coupon marketer Valassis Communications Inc. last week cut 44 jobs in Michigan, or about 4 percent of its 1,100-person Southeast Michigan workforce.

"The reduction was less than three percent of Valassis' total U.S. employee base of approximately 4,300," Mary Broaddus, director of investor relations and corporate communications said.

America's Oldest Magazine Goes Digital

http://www.pubexec.com/article/the-saturday-evening-post-goes-digital/?params=print#

The Saturday Evening Post—America’s oldest magazine withroots tracing back to Benjamin Franklin—is now available as a digitaledition on Google Play. 

The May/June issue is currently available for purchase on Google Play, with theJuly/August issue set to release in the upcoming weeks.

U.S. Kids publications, Turtle, Humpty Dumpty, and Jack and Jill are also now available for purchaseon Google Play.

Esquire Takes a Page from the Movies

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/esquire-takes-page-hollywood-promote-august-issue-141560

For its August issue (on newsstands July 10) Esquire has put together a trailer to give readers a taste of what they’ll find within the magazine’s pages. 

A Switch; TV Show to Magazine

http://sciencefiction.com/2012/06/28/the-walking-dead-magazine-to-debut-in-october/

Titan Magazines and Skybound (the publisher behind the long-running comic book series) have announced that they have joined together and will be launching ‘The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine’ in October.

The release of the magazine will coincide with the Season 3 debut of the show and feature an inside look at both the comic and the show that only an officially authorized magazine can.

Bon Appétit & Banana Republic Join in Campaign

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/business/media/bon-appetit-and-banana-republic-join-forces-in-new-campaign.html?ref=fashion

About the only time that food and clothing turn up together in ads is when detergents demonstrate their abilities to remove from one the stains made by the other. That is about to change as a food magazine and a clothing retailer join for an elaborate summer promotion.

The magazine is Bon Appétit, part of the Condé Nast Publications division of Advance Publications, and the retailer is Banana Republic, part of Gap Inc. It is, apparently, a coincidence that the retailer involved features a food in its name.

Grim Forecasts for Newspapers

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/178115/bad-news-us-newspapers-receive-poor-forecast.html

The long-term decline in newspaper advertising revenues will continue unabated in coming years, according to...PricewaterhouseCoopers, ZenithOptimedia, and Magna Global.  PwC sees print advertising revenues for North American newspapers falling at a compound annual rate of 4.2... ZenithOptimedia’s global forecast is similarly pessimistic, with total newspaper revenues worldwide set to drop from $96.1 billion in 2011 to $92.8 billion in 2014... Magna Global also sees more declines ahead, with total newspaper revenues in North America set to fall 6.6% this year, while global newspaper ad revenues drop 1% to $85.5 billion.

"The Word" Magazine Closes

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/the-word-music-magazine-to-close-7899475.html?printService=print

Publishers of the The Word blamed the "dramatic changes in the media and the music business" which have made it difficult for independent publications to survive.

The magazine sold around 25,000 copies a month and championed many cult and maverick musicians as well as classic acts, to build a loyal fanbase, as well as having a lively website messageboard and weekly podcast.

Kodak; Another Chapter Closes

Another Chapter Ends in Kodak Story: Another chapter in the Kodak saga ended on July 2, when the Kodak Gallery site for North America officially shut down and the process of transferring billions of customer images to Shutterfly got under way. As you may remember, Shutterfly acquired the U.S. and Canadian online gallery assets of Kodak Gallery in late April for $23.8 million.

Verso Reports Talks with Holders of NewPage Notes; NewPage Reacts

Verso Paper Corp. Announces Discussions with Holders of First-Lien Notes of NewPage Corporation Regarding Potential Business Combination:MEMPHIS, Tenn, USA, Verso Paper Corp. (NYSE:VRS) announced today that it has held discussions with certain holders of the 11.375% first-lien senior secured notes of NewPage Corporation in an effort to achieve a potential business combination involving Verso and NewPage as part of a consensual plan of reorganization in NewPage’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings...The terms of Verso’s proposed transaction would provide NewPage’s first-lien noteholders with $1.425 billion of value...In addition, the proposed transaction would include a 100% recovery in cash to repay NewPage’s debtor-in-possession financing...Verso believes that a combination with NewPage would create a stronger business in the global coated and supercalendered paper industry because of the material cost savings that would be achieved.

Separately, It was reported that NewPage sees significant downside risks in Verso combination and does not expect this to be further discussed;

NewPage Corporation (NewPage) today announced that it has been engaged in a series of discussions with its various constituents, including first lien note holders, second lien note holders and the Unsecured Creditors' Committee, in an effort to finalize a consensual Chapter 11 plan. Information relating to these discussions has been posted on the NewPage restructuring website www.NewPageRestructuring.com.

UPM in Negotiations to Sell Stracel

UPM enters negotiations for the sale of its Stracel paper mill
UPM is entering into exclusive negotiations with VPK Packaging Group NV and Klingele Papierwerke through their newly created joint venture company, for the sale of assets and part of the land at the UPM Stracel paper mill site in Strasbourg, France.

CEPI Releases 2011 Statistics

http://www.cepi.org/Content/Default.asp?PageID=558&DocID=36450

The Confederation of European Paper Industries has just released its latest statistics which give a clear picture of the performance of the industry in 2011. These key statistics include data about production, consumption and the trade of pulp, paper and raw materials, as well as data concerning energy, the environment, and social affairs.

Oji in JV to Expand Specialty Paper Base

http://www.ojipaper.co.jp/english/news/2012/release_20120703.html

Pursuant to the resolution passed at a meeting of the board of directors held on June 28, 2012, Oji Paper Co., Ltd. ("Oji Paper") is pleased to announce that it has entered an agreement with Shandong Century Sunshine Paper Group Co., Ltd ("Century Sunshine Paper") in China and Dragon Chariot Limited ("Dragon Chariot") in Hong Kong concerning the implementation of specialty paper business in China by establishing a joint venture. Oji Paper Group is driving the emergence and expansion in the specialty paper sector in China expected to be growth field in the future. After completing the incorporation formalities of such joint venture, Oji Paper Group will hold a new specialty paper manufacturing base in China.

China Buys 75% of US OCC Exports

In the first four months of 2012, China purchased 75% of all US exports of old corrugated containers (OCC) -- a major share increase from five years earlier as containerboard capacity in China steady increased the last five years and is expected to continue rising over the next two years.

This year through April, the US exported 2.4 million tonnes of OCC to China, according to figures from the US Dept of Commerce, Bureau of Census. In 2007, the US shipped 822,000 tonnes or 51% of total OCC exports to China.

International Paper Completes Mill Divestitures

International Paper Completes Mill Divestitures: International Paper today announced that it has finalized the sale of its Ontario and Oxnard, California containerboard mills to New-Indy Containerboard LLC, along with its New Johnsonville, Tennessee containerboard mill to Hood Container Corporation.

RDA Sells Direct To Consumer Business

RDA Sells Its Direct To Consumer Business:
Reader's Digest Association announced today that it made good on its efforts to dispose of its Lifestyle and Entertainment Direct business—part of a process the company has been going through to dispose of non-core assets, simplify its operation and zero in on only its best performing products.

Disney Store POS Rollout Boosts Sales 25%

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-best-practices/Disney-Store-POS-Rollout-Boosts-Sales-25--at-Upgraded-Sites80920?rssid=Article80920   The rollout of a new point-of-sale system integrated with iPod Touch devices for store associates was the centerpiece of a major technology upgrade/remodeling initiative at 320 Disney Store locations. Customer traffic in the remodeled stores has increased 20% and sales have climbed 25%, according to Ron Johnson, director of technology for Disney Stores.