Sterling Media Group, a full service direct response agency, has hired REBECCA BAILEY as vice president, client services in the Dallas and Austin, Texas office; WIN FARRELL as media buyer; and SHELDON LINSETH as traffic manager. Most recently, Bailey served as manager of media planning and analysis for The Sylmark Group. Farrell previously served as media buyer for hawthorne direct, while Linseth served as traffic manager at Fast Media.

The Newspaper National Network has hired TOM COOK as vice president, east coast sales director; SONDRA GAGE as New York sales manager, Packaged Goods/Pharmaceutical; and STEVE SAPP, as director, marketing. Prior to NNN, Cook was the national account manager with Gannett Outdoor and Outdoor Systems. Previously, Gage spent 10 years in media management, rising to vice president, associate media director at Lord, Geller, Federico and Einstein. Sapp has been at NNN for six years.

BILL ABBOTT, executive vice president for national advertising sales at the Hallmark Channel, will also lead a new ad-sales division, Sponsorship Solutions. The division will offer marketers product placements and other sponsored elements as part of plans to reduce the number of commercials in programs and shorten commercial breaks between them.

Direct marketing and media company CoolSavings has named CHRISTINE MCNICHOLAS as senior vice president of retail partnerships. McNicholas will lead CoolSavings' effort to build strategic relationships with major grocery retailers. Prior to joining CoolSavings, McNicholas was vice president of sales and marketing in the retail services division of Catalina Marketing Corporation. She also served in several sales and marketing capacities at Nestle Food Company.

Synovate, a global research firm, has named JERRY BRANDT as head of its new media and entertainment research unit for the Americas. Before joining Synovate, Brandt had served as a national industry director of the KPMG Consulting media & entertainment and digital media groups where he worked with Fortune 500 clients. In his new position, Brandt will be responsible for expanding the company's services in pre-release in-theater movie testing, entertainment and media custom research, and television trailer and promotion testing.

Interep Interactive announced that JOE IULIANO has joined the company as a senior advertising sales account executive. Iuliano will be based in Interep’s Los Angeles office and focus on the entertainment industry.

The Washington Post Company announced that CAROLINE LITTLE has been named chief executive officer and publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. She had been chief operating officer of WPNI since 2000 and president since early 2003. Before joining The Washington Post Company, Little was deputy general counsel of U.S. News & World Report, The Atlantic Monthly, and Fast Company. Also at the Washington Post Company, CHRISTOPHER SCHROEDER will become vice president - strategy of the company. He was previously chief executive officer and publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. Schroeder has been with the company since 1995.

Kforce, a full service professional staffing firm, has appointed HAL EDWARDS to vice president, marketing and communications, primarily responsible for managing the company’s internal and external advertising, marketing, and communications strategies. Prior to joining the company, Edwards was senior vice president and account director with WestWayne.

KSL Media has made DAVID SKLAVER president of its East Coast Operations. Sklaver was most recently president and CEO of Upoc, a mobile media company.

The Weather Channel Interactive has named JOE FIVEASH senior vice president and general manager, responsible for the overall leadership of the interactive division. Fiveash replaces DEBORA WILSON, who was recently promoted to chief operating officer for The Weather Channel Networks and The Weather Channel Interactive. Additionally, PETER GREEN, who formerly managed weather.com ad sales activities for the New York territory, will now head up weather.com's national ad sales efforts; PAUL IAFFALDANO, previously chief revenue officer of weather.com, now serves as senior vice president of network sales and advertising product development.