Yellow Page News Briefs – March

This regular monthly article provides a snapshot of recent Yellow Page industry news you may have missed……

Industry Recycling News:

YP.com and The Swashbucklers of SouthWest Louisiana
The 2013 telephone directory recycling campaign kicked off in Southwest Louisiana at the opening season game for the indoor football Louisiana Swashbucklers recently. The game was dedicated to “Team Green of Southwest Louisiana” and sponsored by YP – The Real Yellow Pages. It marked the official launch of the recycling campaign which began with the delivery of the 2013 yellow page telephone books. The 2013 cover of the edition of the YP Real Yellow pages features the Louisiana Swashbucklers and local fan favorite, wide receiver Sammy Knight.

The Swashbucklers game was dedicated to the promoting and creating awareness of the importance of recycling and the protection of the environment and Southwest Louisiana natural resources. “The Louisiana Swashbucklers are proud to be associated with Team Green of Southwest Louisiana and YP “The real yellow pages” stated Chris Meaux President and General Manager of the team. We encourage all of our fans to recycle their old phone books when they receive their 2013 copy of the Real Yellow Pages”.

This was the second annual season opener dedicated to Team Green. (Source)

Farmington Recycling Program Expands
Yellow Pages recycling for those residents not on the Town’s trash/recycle pickup is now located at the Staple House parking lot (next to the Main Library) in a small dumpster. It will no longer be at the ATT Building on Main Street (Route 10). (Source)

Elementary Schools kick off Phone Book Recycling Event
ALBANY, GA: New phone books are starting to show up and that means it’s time to toss out the old ones.

Today kicks off a competition between Dougherty County Elementary Schools to collect the most books to recycle. (Source)

Yellow Pages Group Reminds Winnipeg Residents of Directory Opt-Out Program
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA: As Yellow Pages Group (YPG), a leading multimedia and marketing solutions company, continues to expand and grow its digital media offerings, the company is committed to providing people with choice around its traditional print directory offerings. Winnipeg residents who prefer not to receive the print directory can remove their address from the delivery list by completing the form at ypg.com/delivery or by calling 1 800 268-5637. (Source)

Phone books recycling – City of Fargo
Fargo residents are encouraged to recycle old phone books by taking them to recycling drop off sites. Phone book recycling containers are in place at several locations and will remain available through April 26, 2013. Only phone books with glued bindings will be accepted…. (Source)

Industry Conferences:

EADP conference in June
The European Association of Directory Publishers (EADP) in cooperation with the European and German Search, Directory and Database association and will have its next conference in Berlin on June 10-11, 2013. You can now register on the EASDP Conference site.

This year’s conference will have a theme of “Using the creative chaos of speed and innovation”. All information, program, exhibitors, speakers, and online registration are available on the EADP site. (Source)

Yellow Pages in the News

Dex One fighting delisting
Dex One Corporation (NYSE: DEXO) has received notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that it was not in compliance with the NYSE listing standard in Section 802.01B of the Listed Company Manual which requires the company to maintain an average global market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading day period of not less than $100 million.

The company notified the Exchange that it will appeal the decision and file a formal request shortly. During the appeal process, the company anticipates DEXO shares will continue to trade on the NYSE. Until a determination is made the company’s trading symbol will bear the “BC” indicator until it is either delisted or is compliant with the NYSE’s listing standards.

Publishers Dex One and SuperMedia File for Bankruptcy
Publishers Dex One Corp and SuperMedia have both filed for bankruptcy in a pre-packaged effort following the approval from a majority of the company’s senior secured lenders to change a credit agreement, clearing the way for their planned merger. Dex One and SuperMedia agreed last year to combine their businesses, with Dex One shareholders expected to own about 60 percent and SuperMedia shareholders the rest of the combined company (Source)

The deck chairs get shuffled at Hibu
Yellow Pages publisher Hibu it had fired its two top US senior managers over speculation that they were plotting a buyout of the US based operation. Hibu chief executive, Mike Pocock  told staff members that Jim McCusker, US president, and Mark Cairns, chief publishing officer, had been “dismissed” after “a thorough investigation into conduct by them that the company considered to be disloyal and against the interests of its employees and other stakeholders”. (Source)

Changing of the Guard at Yellow Media
Marc Tellier, the CEO of Yellow Media, is leaving as the company battles thru weak print revenues and a slow acceptance to the company’s digital products. Yellow Media Ltd. (TSX:Y) announced it is looking for a replacement for Marc Tellier, who has been president and chief executive of the company and its predecessors since October 2001.

“We thank Marc for his leadership and many years of devoted service to Yellow Pages Group and his agreement to remain in order to assist in effecting a smooth transition,” board chairman Robert MacLellan said in a company statement. (Source)

Oops. Wrong cover on South Bend phone book
SOUTH BEND, Ind.: Residents in the South Bend area got quite a surprise when they picked up the newest edition of the Yellowbook. The cover is completely wrong. “I opened it up and I looked at the cover and I realized that’s not our county.” (Source)

Other news:

Ohio, Minn. governors float advertising tax proposals
It isn’t the first time we’ve seen this act before, but two U.S. governors are proposing state taxes on business services, including advertising, threatening revenue streams for local broadcasters, publishers and outdoor-display owners. Both Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, and Gov. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., are considering as part of their budgets for 2014 plans to reduce state sales taxes. “It’s still early in the process, but anytime these issues show up, we have to take it seriously,” says Keith Scarborough, the Association of National Advertisers’ senior vice president for government relations. (Source)

Some humor from France – Paper is Not Dead? 

Not Yellow Pages specific, but even if you don’t speak French, I think you’ll get the point of the paper/paperless humor: http://vimeo.com/61275290