Accelerate360 Buys Bauer Media’s Magazine Business, Strengthens Top Post In Newsstand Publishing (mediapost.com)

American Media, Inc. announced that it was further building on its recent investment in Men’s Journal by increasing the brand’s print circulation to 1.25 million, a 66% increase as current readers of Men’s Journal and Men’s Fitness will be receiving Men’s Journal beginning with the November issue. The integration is part of a broader strategic investment in Men’s Journal that also includes a frequency increase to 12 issues per year and enhancements in both the print and digital products. The brands will continue to maintain separate digital destinations at mensjournal.com and mensfitness.com. “It’s clear, as evidenced by numerous third party research studies, that today’s affluent men are looking for, and eager to invest in, curated experiences and adventures,” said Men’s Journal Chief Revenue Officer Jay Gallagher. “AMI believes that Men’s Journal is well-positioned to meet these consumer demands by extending our national footprint and deepening our authority in this space with the addition of even more world-class editorial and the significant improvements in paper quality and trim size, so that we can continue to build on our position as the only destination for adventurous men.” Click Read More below for more of the story.

Skyrocketing demand for boxes and packing materials during the pandemic has slashed paper production across North America, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for retail companies. “We’re starting to hear, ‘We’re out of paper,‘” said Polly Wong, president of San Francisco-based direct-marketing firm Belardi Wong, noting that some of her clients already missed their fall advertising campaigns due to issues at the printers. Ms. Wong estimates that 100 million catalogs will not be printed or reach U.S. homes in time for the year’s biggest spending season as a result. “It kind of put our industry up in a panic.” With some mills converting to cardboard to meet the spike in e-commerce deliveries and others shutting down altogether, more than 2.5 million metric tons of North American printing and writing paper capacity — or nearly one-fifth of 2019 levels — has come offline since the start of last year. more at source

With less than one week until the November election, new U.S. Postal Service data show an exceedingly high-volume of mail moving through the system and a focus on delivery of ballots. Key Facts: *2.5 Days Average Delivery Time. Since October 1, the average time of delivery for First-Class Mail, including ballots, was 2.5 days with 97.5 percent of all measured First-Class Mail delivered within five days across the country. *4.5 Billion Political and Election Mail Mailpieces. Total mail volume surpassed 4.5 billion mailpieces for both Political Mail and Election Mail tracked, representing an increase of 114 percent compared to the 2016 election cycle. *122 Million Ballots Processed and Delivered. Since Sept. 4, the Postal Service has processed and delivered more than 122 million ballots, including both blank ballots delivered from election officials to voters and completed ballots from voters to election officials.1