Sun Chemical to Raise Prices on Publication Inks in North America
Sun Chemical will raise prices across its portfolio of publication inks in North America, effective June 1. The continued escalation of raw material costs, increasing international and domestic freight rates and shortages of key material inputs into the printing ink supply chain have contributed to the increase, says the company. Sun Chemical will communicate specific increases directly with customers. Sun Chemical is a subsidiary of Sun Chemical Group Cooperatief, the Netherlands, and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.
NYT Dumps Op-Ed Label
The New York Times is retiring the Op-Ed label. The first Op-Ed page showed up in The New York Times in 1970. “It was so named because it appeared opposite the editorial page and not (as many still believe) because it would offer views contrary to the paper’s,” writes NYT Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury. The reason for dropping the name, according to Kingsbury: “In the digital world, in which millions of Times readers absorb the paper’s journalism online, there is no geographical ‘Op-Ed,’ just as there is no geographical ‘Ed’ for Op-Ed to be opposite to. It is a relic of an older age and an older print newspaper design.” Editorials will still be called editorials, but articles written by outside contributors will be called guest essays, says the Times.
Colorado Sun, National Trust Buy Colorado Community Media
The Colorado Sun and the National Trust have bought Colorado Community Media, which has 24 weekly and monthly papers serving eight counties including Denver and surrounding the city, the Sun reported. The Sun partnered with a nonprofit called the National Trust for Local News, which is using this effort to illustrate that national funders and local journalists can work together to keep newspapers owned locally, says the Sun. The Sun and the National Trust will own and operate these papers together under the new title of Colorado News Conservancy, says the Sun.
Meredith Sells Broadcast Group to Gray Television
Meredith today announced that it’s selling its Local Media Group to Gray Television for $2.7 billion in cash. Meredith will focus exclusively on its National Media Group portfolio post-close. Local Media Group owns 17 TV stations in 12 local markets, including in Atlanta, Phoenix and Portland, Oregon. Under the terms of the deal, Meredith’s National Media Group will be spun out to shareholders as a standalone publicly traded company retaining the Meredith Corporation name, with shareholders receiving cash consideration per share of approximately $14.50 and 1-for-1 equity share in post-close Meredith. The deal was unanimously approved by Meredith’s and Gray’s boards. The parties expect to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of this year, says a news release from Gray. Following the sale, Meredith will focus on its brands including People, Better Homes & Gardens, and Allrecipes, says a press release from Meredith.
Wall Street Journal Has New Brand Platform
The Wall Street Journal has launched Trust Your Decisions, a new brand platform and campaign designed to reinforce the Journal’s position as “the definitive source of truth for decision-makers,” says a news release from WSJ. As part of the Trust Your Decisions initiative, WSJ will be revamping one of its campaigns, the Creative Leaders Series. Rebranded as The Decision-Maker Series, the campaign will feature profiles and in-depth interviews with leaders, founders and up-and-coming luminaries from the media and marketing community. Trust Your Decisions was developed with WSJ’s longtime advertising agency, The&Partnership.
Lee Shuttering Virginia Plant
Lee Enterprises says it’s shuttering its Print Innovators printing plant in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Aug. 1, The Free Lance–Star reported. Printing of Lee’s Free Lance–Star will move to a Lee facility in Hanover County, Virginia. The newsgathering and daily delivery operations of The Free Lance–Star will stay in Fredericksburg, the paper said. Print Innovators staff and commercial clients of the 11-year-old facility were told of the move April 30, the paper said.
Saga Over Tribune Publishing’s Fate Continues
The fate of Tribune Publishing continues to unfold, the Chicago Tribune reports. Maryland hotel mogul Stewart Bainum Jr. has pledged more of his own money to his bid for Tribune Publishing, but there are complications, the Chicago Tribune reports. Shareholders meet May 21 to vote on a deal to sell the Chicago-based chain to New York hedge fund Alden Global Capital for $633 million.
California Firm Has Winning Bid for Ponderay Newsprint Mill
Allrise Capital, of Irvine, California, had the winning bid of $18.1 million for the shuttered Ponderay Newsprint Mill in Usk, Washington, The Spokesman-Review reported. Their bid topped two other bids, one from PPL Acquisition Group and the other from the Kalispel Tribe of Indians. Ponderay Newsprint closed in 2020 and the owners filed for bankruptcy protection. Concerns have come up from local public utility officials about possible intentions to use power slated to the mill for cryptocurrency mining, The Spokesman-Review reported.
More News
• A bill concerning paid legal notices in newspapers may pass in Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
- Gannett’s USA Today is now putting some of its content behind a paywall, Poynter reports. The paper’s content had long been free.
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