Short Cuts

Hello Direct Inc., San Jose, CA, a direct marketer of telephone productivity tools, will acquire privately held PhoneZone.com, which publishes a Web buyers’ guide covering telecommunications and networking products and services. Terms were not disclosed. Phonezone.com’s 1998 revenues were about $1.2 million.

DMC Inc., Pewaukee, WI, landed the product launch account from Family Health Systems. No further details were made available.

Home-shopping programmer ValueVision International Inc., Minneapolis, has entered into a five-year agreement with WHCT (TV) Channel 18 for the channel to broadcast ValueVision’s programming full-time. The station serves the Hartford and New Haven, CT area.

The American Stock Exchange said it expects to trade options on the listed stock of infomercial company National Media Corp., Encino, CA (stock/option symbol: NM) beginning Tuesday, January 19. NM will open with initial strike prices of 7-1/2, 10 and 12-1/2, with position limits of 31,500 contracts. Initial expiration months will be February, March, June and September of 1999.