Hi-Speed Media, an online direct response sales and marketing and e-commerce company, last week appointed BENNET KELLEY as Vice President of Legal & Strategic Affairs. Before joining Hi-Speed Media, Kelley represented a number of multi-media marketing companies in private practice.

X10 Wireless Technology announced the hiring of PAUL CURHAN as their new Senior Vice President of Marketing. Curhan will lead the effort to expand the company's online retail promotional programs to target X10's rapidly growing customer base. After serving in leadership marketing roles at such companies as Starbucks, Amazon and Haagen-Dazs, Curhan is now responsible for all aspects of X10 WTI marketing, including web site design, advertising creative, email marketing and PR.

NetRatings has hired ROBERT LEATHERN as the Nielsen//NetRatings Commerce Analytics group director and senior analyst. Leathern will lead the Commerce Analytics group, focusing on the online retail and payments markets. Previously, Leathern was a lead senior analyst with Jupiter Research's Payments and Retail practices.

Reader's Digest magazine named LAUREN BOGAD JAY as Associate Publisher/Group Marketing. Jay will join Reader's Digest from YM Magazine, where she was Associate Publisher/Marketing. Jay has been with YM since 2000. There, she developed partnerships with MTV, Wal-Mart and Fox's American Idol. She held previous positions in marketing and promotion at publications including Self, New Woman and Conde Nast Traveler.

Ripple Effects Interactive announced that KATHLEEN WOJCIECHOWSKI has been appointed associate producer. In her new position, Wojciechowski will help manage all aspects of internal production at Ripple Effects Interactive. She will coordinate initiatives by the agency’s departments to ensure all critical milestones are met and delivered to clients. Prior to joining Ripple Effects Interactive, Wojciechowski was an information management specialist at Concurrent Technologies.

Primedia announced that it has named LAWRENCE C. BURSTEIN as the publisher of New York Magazine. As publisher, he will be responsible for managing the sales and marketing teams for New York magazine and for heading the magazine's NYMetro sales force for its online platform, www.nymetro.com. Burstein has served as the chief operating officer and publisher for Jungle Media Group and executive vice president, Consumer Magazines for Ziff Davis Media. He has also been the publisher of such leading consumer magazine titles as US Weekly, Esquire, The New Yorker, SELF and Elle.

Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. has named STEVEN HENRY Vice President, Affiliate Marketing for TV Guide Affiliate Sales and Marketing. Henry is responsible for overseeing marketing operations and field activities for Gemstar-TV Guide products and services. Also at Gemstar-TV Guide, ERIC RUTTER has been named Director of National Accounts for TV Guide Affiliate Sales and Marketing. Previously, Rutter was a consultant for Early Stage Consulting, Inc.

JEANNE FOX-ALSTON, executive director of the National Association of Minority Media Executives, will join the Newspaper Association of America as vice president of diversity. Fox-Alston will be in charge of building on the effectiveness of existing NAA programs and developing new initiatives and services to help strengthen diversity efforts in the newspaper industry.

JACK GRIFFIN, most recently president of Parade Publications, will become president of Meredith Corp.'s magazine group and will oversee 17 titles. Griffin succeeds JERRY KAPLAN, who announced plans to retire at the end of the year. In the interim, Kaplan, will serve as Executive Vice President of the Meredith Publishing Group, helping with Griffin’s transition. Prior to joining Parade Publications in 1999, Griffin spent five years with Meredith, serving in a number of sales and marketing roles.

KSL Media announced that LESLIE POLIAK has returned to the company and has been named Senior Vice President, Director of Marketing, West Coast. In her position, Poliak will market the newly independent KSL Media to the advertising and client communities and develop new business opportunities for KSL’s west coast operations.