Stora Enso Shuts Down Hylte Newsprint PM

Stora Enso permanently halts 180,000 tonne/yr newsprint PM at Hylte mill in Sweden:
Stora Enso has permanently stopped the 180,000 tonne/yr newsprint unit PM 1 at its Hylte mill in southern Sweden.

Production was halted on December 27.

The company will now clean the machine and put any parts it can use on the mill's other PMs to the side, according to Henrik Axelsson, communications officer at the factory. The firm has yet to decide what will happen to the remainder of the PM in the long term, he added.

West Fraser Joins Others in Pulp Price Increase

One of North America's leading producers of northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp, West Fraser, announced to domestic and European customers that it was increasing prices effective January 1, industry contacts said.

Vancouver-headquartered West Fraser informed North American customers that its NBSK list price would increase to $900/tonne. The firm also also advised European customers that its price would be $840/tonne.
West Fraser's NBSK price increase, which it announced to customers in late December, is similar to hikes various major producers set for Jan. 1 in the USA and Europe.
Major producers that set US NBSK list prices at $900/tonne included Canfor Pulp, Resolute Forest Products, and Domtar, the first NBSK producer globally to set a January increase on Dec. 11. The increases are $30/tonne.

China's Pulp and RCP Imports Up

In November, China's Pulp imports grew 7.7% as compared to the same month in 2011,

according to data from China Customs.

Pulp imports for the first 11 months of the year totaled around 15.068 million tonnes, a surge of 15.4% from 2011. 

China's total recovered paper (RCP) imports soared 23.8% to around 2.570 million tonnes in November 2012, up from some 2.076 million tonnes in October, according to data from China Customs.

November's figure was also 3.4% higher than the 2.487 million tonnes recorded in the same month of 2011.

RCP imports totaled over 27.379 million tonnes for the first 11 months of 2012, up 11.5% from the year-earlier period.

Environmentalists, Forest Industry Struggle with Conservation Plan

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Environmentalists+forest+industry+struggle+complete+Great+Bear/7776998/story.html

Environmentalists are ready to give up on negotiations over the acclaimed Great Bear Rainforest conservation agreement, saying the forest industry is not moving quickly enough to achieve ecological and economic goals in the world’s largest temperate rainforest.

The forest industry says a final agreement is achievable and that the industry has come a long way toward getting there. It’s proving difficult, but not impossible, to develop models that reach the conservation goals, given the restraints logging is now under.

Readers Digest UK Cuts 75% of Staff

Readers Digest UK axes 75% of staff:
On Friday (4 January) the company, which was bought out of administration by private equity group Better Capital in 2010, ceased all trading of its CD, DVD and bookselling arm although it confirmed that existing orders would be honoured.  Meanwhile Reader's Digest UK (RD UK) has filed a proposal to place its direct marketing division into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) while it focuses on a restructure. A CVA is a legal agreement between a limited company and its creditors that sets out arrangements for the repayment or writing off of its debts.

Metrocorp Inc. Buys Slice Communications

Metrocorp Inc. Acquires Majority Stake in Slice Communications:
With mergers and acquisitions now hitting prerecession levels, it’s no surprise that Metrocorp Inc., the publisher of Boston and Philadelphia magazines, is expanding its reach by acquiring a majority stake in Slice Communications.
This small Philadelphia-based boutique public relations and social media agency that was founded in 2008 works with a variety of clients in the technology, professional services, customer services and non-profit sectors.

SMB Advertisers to Spend More

SMB advertisers to spend more this year:
Small and midsize businesses are generally confident about revenue growth this year and plan to increase their advertising expenditures, according to a study by marketing research company Ad-ology Research.

Publisher Associations SIIA, SIPA to Merge

Publisher associations SIIA, SIPA to merge:
The Software & Information Industry Association and the Specialized Information Publishers Association, two major associations for b-to-b publishers, plan to merge.

CEO Confidence Up

Conference Board: CEO Confidence Increases: The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence, which decreased in the third quarter, improved in the fourth quarter. The Measure now reads 46, up from 42 in the third quarter (a reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses).
Says Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board: “CEO Confidence improved in the final quarter of 2012, despite the cloud of fiscal uncertainty.

PEOPLE and Cooking Light Create Booklet

http://www.magazine.org/time-inc%E2%80%99s-people-and-cooking-light-kick-new-year-%E2%80%9Cfresh-start%E2%80%9D-editorial-bookl

To kick off a healthy New Year, PEOPLE, the No. 1 celebrity brand, and Cooking Light, the nation’s leading epicurean brand, joined forces to create a special eight-page editorial booklet focused on healthy eating and weight-loss tips.  The digest-sized insert booklet, “Fresh Start,” features an exclusive interview with TV star Valerie Bertinelli, who reveals the secret to maintaining her 40-lb.weight loss for the past five years, and a “Celeb Slimdown Hall of Fame” including Kelly Osbourne, Jennifer Hudson, Ricki Lake, and Kelly Preston, along with stay-slim secrets from Cooking Light.

2012: M&A Deals Hit $76 Billion

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/190583/2012-ma-deals-hit-76-bil-marketing-segment-lea.html?print#axzz2HPpcCeF8

While dollar volume in deal-making in media mergers and acquisitions rose in 2012, the average prices for those deals declined.
New York-based investment banker, Berkery Noyes, says total dollar volume climbed 17% to $76 billion last year. But the price for those deals -- in terms of revenue multiples and the cash flow multiple -- went lower.

Publishers’ Favorite Startups

http://www.digiday.com/publishers/publishers-favorite-startups/

The technology world is known for churning out startups focused on the needs of advertisers. Call it the Willie Sutton principle: might as well go to where the money is. But increasingly, the pendulum has swung to startups that cater to the needs of publishers.

Digiday polled top publishers on what startups they’re most excited about and why.

For Wired, Half of Ad Revenue Digital

http://adage.com/article/media/digital-cracks-50-ad-revenue-wired-magazine/238986/?utm_source=mediaworks&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=ada
Digital contributed half of all ad revenue at Wired magazine in the final three months of 2012, a first for the title and an encouraging sign for an industry where most big brands still rely overwhelmingly on the difficult business of print. Across the year as a whole, digital ads comprised 45% of total ad sales at Wired, according to the magazine.

Engineering a Reversal of Fortune in 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/business/media/in-2013-engineering-a-reversal-of-fortune-for-media-leaders.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

In business, all years are critical — make a big mistake and you won’t have the chance to make another one. But in the media, wave after wave of transformation mean the coming year is particularly important.

Insurgents are racing over the hills; margins, along with the advertising sales that drove them, are tumbling; and people consume media content at a time, place and, often, at a cost of their choosing. Forget New Year’s resolutions. We’re talking imperatives, a to-do list that requires eating your Wheaties and then some. So on the last day of 2012, it’s worth looking at a group of leaders who confront very steep hills to climb in the year that ends in lucky 13.

Reform Delayed, USPS Must Seek More Cost Savings

http://www.pubexec.com/article/reform-delayed-usps-must-seek-more-cost-savings-25056487# 
The 112th Congress allowed Mr. ZIP to go over the fiscal cliff without a reform package for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), though both chambers are promising swift action to help the institution find its way to a sustainable track.
The USPS has all but maxed out its options: It lost nearly $16 billion in fiscal year 2012 and is losing money at an alarming clip, an estimated $25 million per day. The five-year plan it drew up, one that promised $22 million in annual cost savings while closing more than 200 of its 461 mail processing plants, was incumbent upon Congress restructuring health care and pension obligations, as well as terminating Saturday delivery.

USPS Reports Loss in November

USPS loses $816 million in November: The U.S. Postal Service posted a net loss of $816 million for the month of November, the second month of its fiscal year.

Study to Review Privatizing Postal Service

Think Tank to Study Privatizing Most Postal Service Operations:
The (Postal Service) review by the nonprofit National Academy of Public Administration will analyze the benefits of restoring the agency’s financial health by using a “hybrid” model, which would farm out to the private sector postal operations other than the last delivery mile. A letter carrier would still drive or walk that last part, dropping letters and packages in mailboxes.

Two Sides Challenges Google’s ‘Go Paperless in 2013’ Campaign

Two Sides Challenges the Veracity of Google’s ‘Go Paperless in 2013’ Campaign: The following open letter has been sent to Eric Schmidt of Google and highlights Two Sides’ concerns that Google and others are trying to promote their services as environmentally preferable to print and paper when there is significant evidence that electronic communication, and Google’s activities in particular, carry a significant and increasing environmental footprint.

UPM Stops Production at Stracel Mill

Coated Magazine Paper Production Ceased at UPM Stracel Mill:  
UPM has finalized the employee information and consultation process with the Central Workers’ Council of UPM France and the Workers’ Council of the Stracel mill. The mill ceased production of coated magazine paper on January 4, 2013.
The consultation process was started in July, 2012. The process is part of UPM’s asset review announced on 31 August 2011, aiming to adjust company’s magazine paper capacity to match the needs of its global customer base.
The current customers of the UPM Stracel will be served from other UPM mills. UPM Stracel mill has been producing 270 000 tonnes of coated magazine paper grades. The mill has 250 employees.
As the next step, UPM will continue the negotiations of the sale of assets and part of the land of the Stracel mill to the joint venture created by VPK Packaging Group and Klingele Papierwerke.

AF&PA Reports November P&W Ships

AF&PA November 2012 Printing-Writing Paper Report: WASHINGTON - The American Forest & Paper Association has released its November 2012 Printing-Writing Paper Report.According to the report, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 4 percent in November compared to November 2011. 
November shipments of coated mechanical (CM) papers decreased 5 percent compared to November 2011. Year-to-date shipments of CM are down 5 percent compared to the same 11 months in 2011.
November shipments of coated free sheet (CFS) papers increased year-over-year for the sixth time in the past 12 months.  CFS shipments increased 1 percent when compared to November 2011 to 330,800 tons, the fourth highest total in 2012.
November uncoated mechanical (UM) paper shipments decreased 24 percent when compared to November 2011, the twentieth consecutive month of year-over-year decline.
While uncoated free sheet (UFS) papers shipments decreased 2 percent compared to November 2011 to 705,500 tons, October exports increased year-over-year for the third consecutive month.  Year-to-date shipments of UFS paper are down 3 percent compared to the same months in 2011.  Exports of UFS increased year-over-year in October, up 15 percent.  Year-to-date UFS exports are up 11 percent in 2012 compared to same 10 months in 2011.