A.T. Clayton Names CEO

Peter Harding has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer of A.T. Clayton and Co.  Mr. Harding, formerly Vice President of Domtar’s Business Paper Group, joined ATC as President in September of 2012. 

Mark Vallely will continue his service to A.T. Clayton and its sister companies, J.S. Eliezer and Continuum, in the role of Chairman.

Mr. Harding has promoted Francis Donelan and David Schmerzler, each to the position of Vice President, Sales.  Both men have been with A.T. Clayton for more than a decade.  They will oversee sales, with a focus on business development. 

North American Coated & SC January Ships

North American January shipments of coated mechanical paper fell -5.7%, demand decreased slightly by -0.4%, but imports rose sharply by +23.8%. The operating rate was 90%. Coated woodfree shipments for the month increased +3.4%, demand was up 1.1% and imports declined -11.9%. The operating rate was 90%. Supercalendered paper shipments rose +19.5%, demand was up +13%, but imports fell -10.6%. The operating rtae was 91%. SC-A/SC-A+ demand increased by 25.5%.

Great Northern Millinocket Mill Razed

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/02/23/business/millinocket-great-north-paper-buildings-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-torrefied-wood-project/

Great Northern Paper will raze the Millinocket mill site, preserving PM 11; one of two PMs running full at East Millinocket.

Most of the old Great Northern Paper Co.'s buildings will be razed as the new GNP and its parent company prep the Katahdin Avenue mill site for an industrial park, a company spokesman said Saturday.

Pulp Hikes Scheduled for Europe

Mercer International will raise its price for northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp in Europe to $860/tonne effective March 1.

Brazilian pulp producer Cenibra has begun informing customers that it will raise its price for bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp in all regions effective March 1.

The increase will bring Cenibra's price for BEK in Europe to $820/tonne, in China to $720/tonne and in North America to $870/tonne. 

Stora Enso today began informing its clients that it will increase its northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp prices to $860/tonne in the European market, effective Mar. 1, which means a $20/tonne price hike. The company's last price hike was announced in January, when values moved up to $840/tonne in Europe.   

Brazilian Fibria, world's largest bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp producer, today told RISI that is implementing a $20/tonne price hike in all regions, effective Mar. 1. Prices in Europe will move to $820/tonne, to $870/tonne in NA and $720/tonne in Asia. 

Södra will raise the price of its softwood pulp to US$ 860.00 and hardwood pulp to USD 820.00 per tonne in Europe effective from 1st March 2013.

China Launches Anti-Dumping Investigation

China launches dissolving pulp anti-dumping investigation against Canada, Brazil, and USA:
China has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into the dissolving pulp exported from Canada, Brazil, and the USA.
The probe has started at the request of Chinese pulp, paper, textile and cotton product producers.

RRD Reports 2012 and Q4 Results

http://www.piworld.com/article/rr-donnelley-sons-company-reports-q4-and-full-year-2012-results/1

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. today reported a 2012 fourth-quarter net loss attributable to common shareholders of $849.0 million, or $4.70 per diluted share, on net sales of $2.7 billion compared to a net loss of $326.7 million, or $1.78 per diluted share, on net sales of $2.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. The fourth-quarter net loss attributable to common shareholders included pre-tax net charges, primarily related to non-cash impairment, totaling $1.0 billion in 2012 and $483.9 million in 2011. The non-cash impairment charges followed our annual impairment test of indefinite-lived assets.

Girl Scouts Sell Magazine Subscriptions

Girl Scouts to Sell Magazine Subs:
When Girl Scout troops knock on your door this year, they may have more than just cookies for sale.
Magazine subscription agency M2 Media Group has entered into a licensing agreement with Girl Scouts of the United States of America to provide a new product sales program opportunity for Girl Scout councils nationwide. M2 will partner with local Girl Scout councils to provide members the opportunity to sell magazines and digital subscriptions, utilizing both an online marketplace and face-to-face sales.

Infographic: Magazine Editorial Salaries

Infographic: A Five-Year Look at Magazine Editorial Salaries: Every year FOLIO: conducts a nationwide survey with mid and executive-level editors. The survey maps out salary ranges across a number of demographics including gender, age, location, company size, education and more. The infographic below provides an interactive breakdown on several key trends that have occurred over the last five years.

New Social Networks for Publishers

Beyond the Big Three: New Social Networks for Publishers:
Social media is a direct extension of your editorial voice and brand. For many, your publication doesn’t exist outside of the social world—until they find you in it. For instance, I was introduced to the Pulitzer Prize-winning site Pro Publica via Tumblr. Their “Officials Say the Darnest Things” Tumblog is focused and funny. Now I’m hooked.
Think of social as the front porch to your brand: It should have curb appeal and be inviting.
While it’s important to stay active within the Big Three (Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest), there are untapped audiences for content publishers in the social universe. Consider activating one of these “new” social media communities as you build your online strategy.
Some of these may not be for all of you, but the idea here is to think of unique avenues for growing your audience.

Pearson Reports 2012 Results

http://www.pearson.com/news/2013/february/pearson-2012-results.html

Financial highlights
Sales up 5% at CER to £6.1bn (with digital and services businesses contributing 50% of sales)
Adjusted operating profit 1% higher at £936m
Adjusted EPS of 84.2p (86.5p in 2011)
Operating cash flow of £788m (£983m in 2011)
Return on invested capital of 9.1% (9.1% in 2011)
Dividend raised 7% to 45.0p.

Buffett Buys Another Newspaper

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/warren-buffetts-company-buys-tulsa-world-making-oklahoma-newspaper-its-28th-daily-paper/2013/02/25/9284a636-7f71-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html

Billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway said Monday that it is buying the Tulsa World, bringing its newspaper unit to 28 small- or medium-sized dailies.
The privately held Tulsa newspaper has a daily circulation of 95,000. The sale was reported Monday by the Tulsa World and Berkshire’s Omaha World-Herald, whose executives oversee the company’s newspapers. 
Terms of the deal, which is expected to close in March, weren’t disclosed.

NYT Renames International Herald Tribune

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/194278/international-herald-tribune-renamed-internati.html#axzz2LwfRmp2Y

The New York Times Co. has renamed the iconic 126-year-old International Herald Tribune. It's now the International New York Times, reports The Wrap, which will be introduced later this year as a multiplatform version of the NYT. According to a NYT story on the renaming, the fate of the IHT's staffers is unclear. Half of the newspaper’s staff work in Paris, and the rest operate across the globe. Founded in 1887 as the European edition of the New York Herald, the paper has been headquartered in Paris ever since.

Xerox Acquiring Impika

Xerox Strengthens Leadership in Production Color Printing Through Acquisition of Industrial Inkjet Provider, Impika: NORWALK, Conn. — Xerox has acquired Impika, a leader in the design, production and sale of production inkjet printing solutions used for industrial, commercial, security, label and package printing.

NewPage Luke Mill Gets Energy Break

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/md-dc-utilities-pay-paper-mills-burning-black-liquor-for-alternative-fuel-credits/2013/02/22/440078da-696b-11e2-95b3-272d604a10a3_story.html

Maryland, Washington DC, utilities pay NewPage’s Luke paper mill for renewable energy from black liquor process.

When Maryland and the District set floors requiring electric utilities to use increasing amounts of renewable energy, environmentalists cheered the prospect of money going to new solar and wind projects. But today, several years after the legislation went into effect, it has had an unexpected outcome. Thanks to a wrinkle in the definition of renewable, the lion's share of the money used to meet those standards is flowing to paper companies that burn "black liquor," a byproduct of the wood-pulping process. Paper mills have been using black liquor to generate most of their power needs since the 1930s.

Alberta-Pacific Announces Pulp Price Hike

Alberta-Pacific (Alpac) announced that its aspen northern bleached hardwood kraft (NBHK) pulp
price would increase in North America and China, effective March 1 until further notice.
Alpac Pulp Sales said Friday that aspen grade NBHK price would increase by $30/tonne, to $820/tonne in North America.

In addition, Alpac said its export price to China would be $660/tonne. That's $20/tonne above its last price announcement, when the firm raised NBHK to $640/tonne.

Suzano also slated its Mar. 1 list price at $870/tonne in North America, $820/tonne in Europe, and $720/tonne in Asia.

Promotions Pushed Consumer Purchases

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/ca-strongmail-systems-idUSnBw8vnhKja+104+BSW20130220 
The survey, conducted online nationwide by Harris Interactive on behalf of StrongMail from January 7-9, 2013 among 2,166 online adults ages 18 and older, found that 67 percent of U.S. online consumers made a purchase from a retailer during the 2012 holiday season as a result of a sale or promotion. Of those who made a purchase from a retailer as a result of a sale/promotion this past holiday season, more than half (51 percent) said an email from a retailer influenced their purchase decision, followed by TV ads (45 percent), print ads (newspaper/magazine) (42 percent) and online advertising (33 percent).

Revenue-Hungry States Look at Taxing Ads

http://adage.com/article/news/revenue-hungry-states-set-sights-taxing-ads/239989/

Desperate for cash, the governors of Ohio and Minnesota are eyeing a tax on advertising. And even as agencies, broadcasters, newspaper publishers and big advertisers prepare to push back, there is concern that such moves could not only pass, but spread to other states and to the federal level

2013 So Far

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2013/02/19/attention-publishers-iconic-is-not-a-business-model/

Let’s review what the year 2013 hath wrought so far in the media industry.
Reader’s Digest, staggering under $1.2 billion in debt, has filed for bankruptcy for the second time in four years. Rolling Stone owner Jann Wenner managed to stave off a bankruptcy filing of his own by refinancing $200 million of debt under spartan new terms. 
And in the biggest news of all, Time Inc. is negotiating to spin off most of its magazines into a new company to be controlled by Meredith Corp. Held back from the deal will be Time magazine, Fortune and Sports Illustrated; Meredith is “said not to want them,” according to Michael Wolff.

Google's SVP on Advertising

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-just-described-its-incredibly-simple-plan-to-kill-print-advertising-2013-2#ixzz2LweCvwN5 
Google svp/advertising Susan Wojcicki told Adweek how she sees ad dollars continuing to move out of traditional media in favor of online.
In response to a question about how Google chief business officer Nikesh Arora believes 50 percent of all ad spend will switch online in five years, she said she believed print would continue to be the preferred victim of that shift, as people stop buying magazines and papers because they already own tablets and iPads.

Games of Thrones Runs Print Ad

http://adage.com/article/creativity-pick-of-the-day/dragon-flies-overhead-game-thrones-print-ad/240015/

HBO's Game of Thrones' Season 3 premiere is just over a month away -- and the show does a spectacular job advertising just how close that is with this two-page ad in Monday's edition of the New York Times.