News

• Hartmarx Acquires Sweater.com for $12.4 Million

  Hartmarx Corp. has acquired online marketer Sweater.com Inc. for $12.4 million.

• ABC Radio Improves Demographic Targeting

  The ABC Radio network plans to introduce demographic targeting for advertisers to reach listeners of digital streaming radio programming.

• ValueVision Authorizes $10 Million Stock Buy Back

  Direct response television marketer ValueVision Media Inc. is looking to purchase back $10 million in common stock over the next 12 months.

• HSBC Official Pleads Guilty in Telemarketing Case

  A former HSBC Bank USA vice president pleaded guilty on Friday to a charge of conspiracy in a $30 million telemarketing scam aimed at low-income customers with bad credit histories.

• Live Nation Names Schroeder EVP of Direct Marketing

  Live Nation, a live event and venue management company, has named Jeff Schroeder executive vice president, direct marketing and research.

• Image-Based Spam Skyrockets: IronPort

  Image-based spam has grown dramatically in the last year from 1% of all spam in June 2005 to 12% this year, according to Internet security firm IronPort Systems.

• Nonprofit Alliance Names Conway Executive Director

  The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers has named Anthony W. Conway executive director.

• Credit Card Mail Offers Grow 16% in 2005

  More than six billion credit card offers were mailed to U.S. consumers in 2005, up 16% from 2004, according to Mail Monitor, the direct mail offer tracking service from Synovate.

• Mail Stream: A Report on Incoming Direct Mail

  Ross-Simons Launches Via Via, a new catalog from fine jewelry, home and gift merchant Ross-Simons, offers shoppers a unique, casual collection of jewelry, accessories and home decor items. A note on the inside cover of the Premiere Edition asserts, …

• Agencies

  United Online Acquires MyPoints.com

  United Online Inc., an Internet services provider, has purchased MyPoints Inc. from UAL Corp., the parent company of United Air Lines.