Resolute Forest Products Sues Greenpeace

http://metronews.ca/news/canada/717861/quebec-forestry-company-suing-greenpeace-for-7-million/

A Quebec-based Resolute Forest Products Inc. is suing Greenpeace for $7 million, accusing the environmental group of defamation, malicious falsehood and intentional interference with economic relations.

In the 40-page suit filed in Ontario Superior court in late May, Resolute alleges the conservation agency has damaged the company's "business, goodwill and reputation."
The company lists multiple incidents, beginning in December 2012, where it says Greenpeace wrongly accused the company of logging in areas it shouldn't have been and not honouring the pensions of company retirees.

Transformative Sustainability: Domtar's 2020 Roadmap

http://whattheythink.com/news/64296-transformative-sustainability-year-1-progress-domtar-2020-roadmap

Domtar Corporation today released its 2012 Sustainable Growth Report, providing a Year-1 update on its 2020 sustainable business roadmap.  Progress is being tracked through a framework of 35 key performance indicators that cover the range of the Company's sustainability efforts, from increasing production efficiency and environmental footprint reductions, to promoting the development of employees, serving customers better and contributing more effectively to host communities.

The report highlights a long list of Year-1 achievements: the Company's best year on record for health and safety performance; close to 85% renewable energy use; decreasing greenhouse gas emissions intensity; and, increasing FSC^® certified fiber use.  Additional focus in the report is also given to innovations that have resulted in almost half of what was previously considered mill by-product "waste" now providing economic value through beneficial re-use; greater employee engagement around sustainable business issues; and, Domtar's deep connections to local communities.

IP Notes Sustainability Progress

http://whattheythink.com/news/64276-international-paper-announces-significant-progress-2020-sustainability-goals

International Paper published its 2012 Sustainability Report, revealing progress against its voluntary goals including certified fiber use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, and water quality improvement. 
In 2011, International Paper announced 12 environmental and social goals that it planned to achieve by 2020.

Sappi to Divest Swaziland Assets for Rand 1 billion

http://www.sappi.com/regions/sa/group/GroupProfile/Pages/default.aspx

Sappi will part with its Usutu assets in Swaziland. The firm announced this morning that it entered into an agreement with Montigny Investments in terms of which the latter will acquire all the shares in Usutu Forest Products Company for Rand 1 billion ($101 million).

Usutu controls some 67,000 ha of softwood plantations, a decommissioned pulp mill and two villages in close proximity to the pulp mill, all located in the Kingdom of Swaziland.

US Publishers See Ongoing Growth, Including Print

http://www.publishers.org/press/111/

English-language books from US Trade sector publishers continue to flourish worldwide, especially in Europe and Asia and in expanding online international retail sales channels, according to the second annual Association of American Publishers (AAP) Export Sales Report being released today.The report also shows particular worldwide growth in US-published, English-language fiction for Adults and Young Adults.
The report examines US Trade sector (publishers of fiction and non-fiction) 2012 net sales revenue from international markets and includes data from all major consumer publishing houses. 
Total overall 2012 net revenue from non-US markets reported by publishers is $833.389 million, increasing +7.2% vs 2011. This represents 135,526 million units, a gain of +2.4% vs last year. Publishers’ net revenue from export of eBooks increased by +63% and print books by +1.3% over the same period.

Hachette Book Group to Acquire Disney's Hyperion

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/07/01/hachette-to-acquire-disneys-hyperion/2478859

Hachette Book Group, a division of French publishing giant Hachette Livre, says it's buying Disney's Hyperion, in a deal that will significantly expand HBG's backlist with about 1,000 books and a list of forthcoming titles from authors including actor Ethan Hawke.

Hachette Book Group did not disclose the price it's paying to acquire Hyperion, which has published more than 250 bestsellers.
Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch was quoted in a Friday statement as saying that Hyperion, with its strong non-fiction list, is a "perfect complement" to HBC.
The statement says that under the deal, Disney Publishing Worldwide is to retain Disney-Hyperion branded children and young adult titles.

Penguin/Random House Merger Completed

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/business/media/merger-of-penguin-and-random-house-is-completed.html?hp&_r=

Random House and Penguin completed their planned merger Monday morning, creating the biggest and most powerful book publisher in the world.

The new company, called Penguin Random House, will control more than 25 percent of the trade book market in the United States, giving it unmatched leverage against Amazon.com, a growing force in the industry. 
Bertelsmann and Pearson, the European owners of Random House and Penguin, respectively, announced the merger in October, saying that Bertelsmann would control 53 percent of the company and Penguin 47 percent. Since then, the merger has sailed through regulatory approvals in the United States and Europe, as well as China, Canada and other countries. 
The new company would have more than 10,000 employees, 250 independent publishing imprints and about $3.9 billion in annual revenues.

Warc Boosts U.S. Ad Spending Projection

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130628/ADVERTISING13/306289997/warc-downgrades-global-ad-spending-forecast-boosts-u-s-projectio

Global ad spending will increase 3.4% this year, according to a downgraded forecast from media intelligence firm Warc. The prediction is down from a January forecast of 4.0% growth.

Next year, Warc projected, global ad spending will rise 5.4%.
In the U.S., ad spending will increase 1.8% this year, according to Warc's latest forecast. In January it had predicted a 0.3% decline.

RDA Bankruptcy Plan Approved

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/rda-bankruptcy-plan-approved-court#.UdG7yOuYyKw
RDA Holding, parent company of The Reader's Digest Association, had its plan for emergence from bankruptcy approved and will officially exit Chapter 11 in late July. 
The company is set to reemerge with about $100 million in debt, down from around $500 million before the filing in February. RDA says it converted approximately $465 million in secured notes to equity. 
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the measures Friday afternoon. 
According to CEO Robert Guth, RDA will focus on its "most profitable core businesses" moving forward. Ancillary units—including Every Day with Rachel Ray and Allrecipies.com—have already been divested.
The publisher's flagship titles, Reader's Digest and Taste of Home, have slowly trended upward since Guth took over in September of 2011.

Senator Vows Postal Reform Act by July 4

http://www.dmnews.com/senator-carper-vows-postal-reform-act-by-july-4/article/290606/

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the United States Postal Service, told a group of postal officials and business leaders yesterday at the Postal Vision 2020 conference that he expected to have a new reform bill passed by both Houses of Congress and sitting on President Obama's desk before Congress's July 4 recession. 
“It's not easy to get this done, but we can get this done and, in the end, we have no choice,” Carper told a group of postal officials and business leaders at the conference held across street from USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. 
Carper was a coauthor of the 21st Century Postal Act that failed to gain passage during the lame-duck session of Congress at the end of 2012. Had it passed, the act would have given USPS some relief from its $5 billion a year obligation to prepay pension benefits for its employees and allowed it to pursue other cost-cutting and revenue-building opportunities. Its failure to pass the house led to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe's controversial announcement to cut Saturday mail delivery.

Private Forest Owners Significant Contributers to Economy

http://nafoalliance.org/featured/private-forest-owners-make-significant-contribution-to-u-s-economy-new-report-shows

The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) today released new data confirming the strong value forest owners provide to the U.S. economy. “The Economic Impact of Privately-Owned Forest in the United States” reveals forest owners support 2.4 million jobs, $87 billion in payroll, $223 billion in sales and 5.7 percent of all U.S. manufacturing. In addition to the full report, NAFO’s interactive U.S. map provides a convenient snapshot of individual state data.

Norske Skog Opens New Headquarters

Norske Skog - new head quarter location: The Mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang made the official opening of Norske Skog's new head quarter at Skøyen in Oslo. Norske Skog has had its headquarters at Oxenøen in the municipality of Bærum since 1998.
Norske Skog has undergone a major reorganisation and downsizing in recent years, reducing the need for the large premises at Oxenøen. The CEO Sven Ombudstvedt said at the opening ceremony: "Norske Skog is a very different company today than it was just a few years ago. Our intention is to have timely, efficient and pleasant premises, adapted to the number of employees and our current business".
(Norske Skogindustrier ASA)

Sonoco Raises Prices on Cores and Tubes

http://www.sonoco.com/

Sonoco (SON) today announced that it will raise the price for all paperboard tubes and cores by 5 percent, effective with shipments in the United States and Canada beginning July 15, 2013.

"This price increase is necessary to recover recently announced paperboard price increases," said James Harrell , vice president, Tubes and Cores- North America .
Sonoco is the largest producer of paper-based tubes and cores in North America , used to serve the paper, textiles, plastic films, and tape and specialty industries.

Liens Sought on Cate Street Capital Millinocket Mill

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/06/26/news/penobscot/millinocket-manager-to-seek-tax-liens-on-mill-property/

The town could seek tax liens on properties owned by Cate Street Capital LLC and Specialty Minerals Inc. as early as Friday in response to what Town Manager Peggy Daigle called the town's cash flow crisis, officials said Wednesday.

Daigle will seek Town Council permission on Thursday to put liens on Cate Street's Katahdin Avenue paper mill site and on properties there owned by Specialty Minerals, she said.
The value of all site property is $62 million - 24 percent of the town's total taxable value, Daigle said.

FSC Develops Program for Small Landowners

https://us.fsc.org/

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has launched a fund to support the FSC certification for small forest landowners, as well as contribute with the improvement of the supply chain management, the investment on new machinery and the increase in access to certified products.

To be eligible to participate, the landowners must fill out a form with information on their businesses and the plan to utilize the subsidies, as well as a signed commitment to the fund's terms and conditions, by no later than Jun. 30. A second stage of the process would require a full dossier, to be submitted for the FSC's approval. Finally, the selected candidates would be contacted by the regional offices of the FSC to perform the transfer of subsidies. Funded by a percentage of the FSC's administrative rate, the program intends on distributing up to Euro 420,000 to the selected applicants by October 2013.

Oriental Trading Buys Toy Maker Mindware

http://www.enquirerherald.com/2013/06/27/2553496/oriental-trading-buys-toy-maker.htm

Oriental Trading Co., which is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, has purchased toy maker MindWare Holdings Inc. to help expand its product offerings.

Financial terms were not disclosed.
Oriental Trading offers party supplies, arts, crafts, toys and other trinkets through its website and catalog.
MindWare, based in Minneapolis, sells its toys at retailers, through catalogs and its website and through distributors in more than 35 countries. Its products include Qwirkle, an educational game that requires tactical maneuvers and a well thought out strategy.
Some MindWare products will be shown in Oriental Trading's catalogs and on its website during the holidays.
Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. had announced plans to buy Omaha, Neb.-based Oriental Trading in November. Financial terms were not disclosed.

MediaPost Mag Bag

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/203509/mag-bag-layoffs-at-boys-life-scouting.html#axzz2XQsnjCsl

Layoffs At Boy's Life, Scouting
Layoffs are coming to two iconic magazines associated with The Boy Scouts of America, Boy’s Life and Scouting. Altogether, around 34 layoffs are expected, with 17 positions already cut and another 17 due by the end of the year. Most of the positions cut came in the marketing department, according to a statement from the BSA.
Folio: also reports that BSA has entered into a partnership with educational publisher Pearson to consider various options for restructuring the publications, although there are currently no plans afoot to reduce the frequency of Boy’s Life or Scouting -- which publish 12 and five times per year, respectively.
B&N Hands Off Nook Manufacturing
Tablet computers may be the wave of the future, but not for Barnes & Noble, which is handing off responsibility for manufacturing its Nook devices to an as-yet-undesignated partner, according to the company’s most recent earnings announcement. 
Mastrangelo Leaves Rolling Stone 
Matt Mastrangelo stepped down from his position as publisher of Rolling Stone on June 21, according to the New York Post, which reported the news earlier this week. Neither Mastrangelo or owner Wenner Media provided a reason for Mastrangelo’s departure after three years at the publication.

News Corp. Splits

http://adage.com/article/media/news-corp-spinoff-forces-publishing-arm-prove-growth/242901/ Rupert Murdoch bowed to investor pressure to split his six-decade-old publishing business from the rest of News Corp.'s media empire. Now it's time for the newspaper unit to prove it can make it on its own.

Publishing CEO Robert Thomson has promised cost-cutting and buzzy innovation.  

The publishing unit -- owner of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and London's Sunday Times -- officially becomes independent today, losing the backing of News Corp.'s entertainment business as it pursues growth in a declining industry. The newspaper company, which will keep the

News Corp. name, is valued at about $8.9 billion -- a seventh the level of entertainment business, which will be called 21st Century Fox. 
Robert Thomson, who will be CEO of the publishing group, promised investors last month that the company would be "relentless in our cost cutting and in our pursuit of profits."

Insert Cards Still Valuable Alternative

Why It's Worth It to Revive Your Wrap and Tip Promos:
Not everyone subscribes or renews online. There is a great temptation to use all things new in promotions and ignore the old—the wise circulation manager and audience developer will not fall into this trap. Not every promotion makes a profit, sometimes things have to be done for what they achieve rather than what they cost. Insert cards for instance almost never pay for themselves, but they get orders from every issue and are a good source of low-cost subscriptions compared to other types of promotion. If you don’t believe me, ask the folks at TV Guide.

BPA Redesigns Brand Report

BPA Redesigns, Shifts Exclusively to Brand Report Format: BPA Worldwide is planning to transition all of its business and consumer members to its Brand Report format, which allows audience developers to report audience metrics for all of a brand's media channels. The auditing firm will phase out its traditional circulation statement with the December 2013 reporting period.