HSN Names Greg Henchel General Counsel And Secretary At $350,000 Base Salary, Plus Stock Worth That Much

HSN Tuesday appointed Greg Henchel its executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, effective Feb. 15th. His annual base salary will be $350,000, according to a securities filing.

Henchel will manage the company’s corporate legal strategy and oversee the legal department, reporting directly to HSN CEO Mindy Grossman.

“Greg’s appointment underscores our company’s commitment to ensuring that our ongoing innovations and new corporate partnerships are supported by a robust infrastructure and seasoned executive team,” Grossman said in a prepared statement.

“With over 15 years of broad legal experience, counseling diverse service, manufacturing and retail businesses, and a long history of success in helping public companies grow, Greg brings the skill set required to strengthen our legal team and oversee all legal matters for the company,” she said.

Henchel will be paid an annual base salary of $350,000, and be eligible to participate in HSN’s short-term incentive plan with a target bonus of 60 percent of base salary, and long-term incentive plan with a target bonus of 100 percent of base salary, according to an 8-K filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Awards under the plans will be based on measures of both corporate financial performance and individual goals and objectives, HSN said.

Effective in March, Henchel will be granted an award of restricted stock units, or RSUs, equal to 100 percent of his base salary based on fair value of the company’s common stock on the grant date, not to exceed 40,000 RSUs. The RSUs will vest in five equal annual installments, with 20 percent vesting on each of the following anniversaries of his date of hire.

Henchel will also be eligible for relocation assistance to move him and his family from New Albany, Ohio, to St. Petersburg, Fla., where HSN is headquartered, including temporary living allowance to assist with duplicate housing costs for up to the first six months of his employment.

He will also be eligible to participate in the HSN’s named executive officer severance plan, which provides for severance benefits in the event of a termination by the Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason .

Henchel joins HSN from Tween Brands, where he served as senior vice president and general counsel from 2005 through the beginning of this year.

Henchel also served as secretary of TWB Brands from 2008 through 2010. While at TWB, he managed all non-real estate legal matters related to the $1 billion public retailer, including litigation, securities regulation, employment, corporate governance and intellectual property.

Previously, Henchel served as the assistant general counsel for Cardinal Health and as a litigation associate at Jones Day.

Henchel received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1993, where he graduated Cum Laude, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in 1989. He is a member of the bar in Ohio and Illinois.

ShopNBC Customers Can Now Place Orders Directly From Their Mobile Devices

If we had had a BlackBerry or iPhone, we would love this: ShopNBC customers will now be able to order goodies from the home shopping channel directly from their mobile devices.

Tuesday ShopNBC said it is launching new mobile e-commerce capabilities as well as a second version two of its ShopNBC iPhone application, which will enable customers to shop and place orders directly from smart mobile phones and devices, including iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Droid.

The all-new ShopNBC mobile platform was developed in partnership with Usablenet, a mobile Web platform for leading brands, offers on-the-go access to ShopNBC.com.

ShopNBC customers can shop and order from the multichannel electronic retailer’s entire selection of more than 10,000 items, discover daily specials, search for products by keyword or item number, and check order and shipping status.

In concert with the new mobile e-commerce enhancements, ShopNBC is also rolling out its second version of its iPhone application. Last April ShopNBC became the first TV shopping retailer to release a shopping application for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The new ShopNBC version, available as a free download from iTunes.com, builds on the success of the initial ShopNBC iPhone app by offering a more comprehensive, user-friendly interface, which includes key features of ShopNBC.com and the ability to order directly from the iPhone and iPod Touch.

“We are excited about advancing the cause of our mobile e-commerce strategy for the benefit of the customer,” Carol Steinberg, ShopNBC’s senior vice president of e-commerce and marketing, said in a prepared statement.

“With fast, easy access to our entire product selection coupled with the ability to accept merchandise orders directly from mobile devices, ShopNBC has further enhanced its shopping experience. Now, in step with an on-the-go lifestyle, customers have the ease of knowing that ShopNBC’s unique items and top values are always at their fingertips.”

We Visit “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”’s Brownstone For A Super Bowl Party, And Why We Cheered For The New Orleans Saints

The Brownstone is owned by Real Jersey Housewife Caroline Manzo's (second from left) husband. She and her sister Dina (far right) are married to brothers.

We just got back from a great Super Bowl Party that was held at the Brownstone in Paterson, N.J.

If you didn’t watch Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” then that doesn’t mean anything to you.

But if you were a fan, like us, you know that the Brownstone, a beautiful catering hall, is owned by the husband of “Jersey Housewives” Caroline Manzo, whose sister Dina was also on the hit reality show. Some scenes from “Housewives” were shot at the Brownstone.

We looked, but didn’t see, either of the Manzo sisters, who are married to brothers.

The Super Bowl party, held by New Jersey State Rep. Dave Russo, R-40th District, was more like a wedding, with several hundred people. The room was huge, with beautiful table settings and down-and-dirty Super Bowl food — mini-hamburgers, sausage and peppers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, cotton candy, you get the idea.

We were invited by dear friends who are friends of Assemblyman Russo. We helped out by selling raffle tickets at the shindig, and had a hunch that we would win something (we are aligned with the source). And we did win item No. 28, our lucky birthdate number, which was a gift basket with various cheeses.

We left after halftime, and got home in time to see the New Orleans sail to victory. In between munching on fattening french fries, we had been rooting for them.

First of all, the hell with the Colts, they beat the New York Jets. But more importantly, we love New Orleans.

In our prior life, we were assigned a story to go down to NOLA just about two months after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The story was to not only describe how Cox Cable in New Orleans got its system back up and running after the deadly storm, but to convey the emotional impact this tragic disaster had on Cox employees.

We loved New Orleans and had been there often before Katrina. And the resolve and resilence of the Cox crew post-Katrina was inspiring.

These are people who, after being evacuated to Baton Rouge, watched Katrina on TV and broke into tears when they recognized flooded areas and realized their homes were under water.

One Cox dispatcher, still inside the Big Easy, saved more than 100 people by rescuing them with his duck boat.

After the storm the Cox GM, Greg Bickett, at one point was trying to get his operation in order while also arranging for the body of one of his employee’s relatives to be moved from a street downtown to a mortuary.

“It was just this Kafka-esque kind of moment,” Bickett told us back then.

Katrina had done more than $115 million in damage to Cox’s New Orleans system, and we wrote a series of stories on the cable company’s comeback, including this one and this one.

The Cox folk took us to areas the public was still barred from, and we stood on New Orleans’ Ground Zero, on the very spot where the levees breeched.

Congratulations Saints! New Orleans is back indeed.

And for those who come here solely for the dish on home shopping, here’s a tidbit for you: QVC is selling Saints’ Super Bowl merchandise like hats and HSN had items like a Saints fireplace screen for sale.

Over at ShopNBC, the official NFL Super Bowl gear includes a football signed by Drew Brees for $500.

QVC Designer Isaac Mizrahi Tells The New York Post About His Big Apple Favorites

The New York Post every Sunday does a feature called “My New York,” where a celebrity talks about his or her favorite restaurants, shops, etc., in New York City. This week QVC designer Isaac Mizrahi is featured.

Some of Mizrahi’s favorite eateries are Il Cantinore, which he says is near his apartment in Greenwich Village; the tony La Grenouille off Fifth Avenue; and the deli Fine & Shapiro on the Upper West Side.

He also enjoys hanging out at the Carlyle hotel and Washington Square Park, which is also near his abode.

The Post also offers a brief bio of the 48-year-old Brooklyn-born designer. It mentions his QVC line, which The Post says “features everything from dresses to housewares and plaid cheesecake.”

Mizrahi is also quoted as saying, “I’ve become one of those Woody Allen-ish people who cannot leave New York ever. If I have to leave, I start freaking out months in advance.”

We guess he’s starting to feel a little uneasy right about now, because he’s going to be in LA in March for QVC’s special Oscar shows.

Is This Wrapped 28 Carat Crystal Quartz Enhancer QVC’s Feb. 10 Today’s Special Value?

Is this crystal quartz enhancer Wednesday's TSV?

This post is for jewelry geeks only: The stealthy posters on QVC’s jewelry forum say they know what the Today’s Special Value is for Wednesday.

The item is a 28 carat faceted crystal quartz enhancer, which is wrapped in yellow, white or rose gold wire. It is from Vicenza Style, item number J148856.

The pendant, at a pricey $203, is up on QVC’s site right now, so we don’t know if that knocks it out as a potential TSV.

The elongated pendant is featured in QVC’s February program guide, but not identified as the TSV.

QVC Will Be In Los Angeles With Special Oscar Shows, The Los Angeles Times Reports

QVC gave The Los Angeles Times a nice little scoop: The home shopping network is coming to the Oscars, or at least trying to ride on its coattails.

QVC will do two live three-hour broadcasts from the Four Seasons Hotel (we stayed there once while on assignment) in LA on March 5 and 6, which is the weekend of the Academy Awards, according to The Times.

Unfortunately, Lisa Robertson (who thinks she’s all that) will be hosting, wearing her usual low-cut gowns and hair extensions, we’re sure. This red-carpet gig will really give her as swelled head.

You can expect to see QVC vendors such as Rachel Zoe, Isaac Mizrahi and Joan Rivers at the QVC event.

Rivers will wear a necklace that will be sold on QVC on the real Oscar red carpet when she does fashion coverage for E! Entertainment Television.

Entertainment-magazine TV show veteran Nancy O’Dell will launch her new QVC jewelry line during the network’s Oscar shows, the Times reports, while Zoe and Mizrahi have done special items for the festivities.

Oops, She Did It Again: Singer and QVC Vendor Jessica Simpson’s Flatulence Problem Makes The Cover Of US Weekly

Simpson's gassy moment made the cover of US Weekly

We swear we don’t buy celeb gossip rags, but we do read them at the gym. So while we were on the elliptical machine at 7:15 a.m. this Saturday morning, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a more-information-than-we-want-to-know story on QVC vendor and singer Jessica Simpson.

We couldn’t quite believe what we were reading, so we had to share: Simpson’s flatulence made the cover of the Feb. 8 US Weekly.

The cover promoted the story with the headline “Jessica’s Big Oops!,” and the headline on the story inside the magazine said “Jessica Simpson Makes A Stink.” We wonder if a fellow Medill graduate wrote that gem.

The story says that Simpson, during a business meeting on her denim line in a room with five executives, “let out a very loud fart.”

Credit: Al Pereira/Wire Image

Her mother apparently chastised Simpson in front of everyone, and “the tension was extreme,” a US Weekly mole said.

US Weekly also fills us in on the Simpson flatulence back-story. On the MTV show that made her and then-husband Nick Lachey famous, “Newlyweds,” Simpson told him, “You love my stinky ass.”

That’s a nice Valentine’s Day story for you. It has all the makings of a Hallmark Card.

Is An LG HDTV Set A Home Theater System? QVC Seems To Think So…And How Did The Gold Rush Pan Out?

Yesterday we wrote that QVC’s Today’s Special Value would be a home theater system from a new vendor to the network, LG. Why did we say that? Well, QVC’s program guide described LG’s midnight show as “LG Home Theater,” with a blurb talking about the manufacturer’s home theater systems.

Well, the QVC TSV is from LG, and it’s a 47-inch high resoluton HDTV set, at $895. Last time we looked, a TV set is not a home theater system. A home theater system is speakers, surround-sound, etc.

So why did QVC lead customers and snooks like us to believe the day’s best deal would be a home theater system, not just a TV set, in its online program guide? You tell us.

By the way, we’re still waiting for the QVC PR department to put out a press release on the network’s Jan. 24 annual California Gold Rush sale. QVC was boasting that it had than $30 million worth of gold jewelry to sell.

QVC never told us what happened with the Gold Rush, which means one of two things: It did not sell all $30 million worth of merchandise, or it did and the PR department was too lazy to put out a release on it.

Either way, it not good for QVC.

If Your Life Is Good, Maybe You Can Afford An LG Home Theater System From QVC

We can’t remember the last time, if ever, that QVC has offered a home theater system. But that is what Saturday’s Today’s Special Value will be, from a new vendor to the home shopping network, LG.

We guess this is all part of QVC’s grand plan to move toward selling more consumer electronics goods, as its categories such as jewelry have faltered because of the economy.

Here is what QVC.com is saying about the system from LG that it will be hawking:

“For over 50 years, LG has helped lead the way into the advanced digital era. By constantly striving to enhance their customers’ lifestyles, they have created Home Theaters with imagery so real and sound so powerful you’ll feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. Explore innovative products featuring stylish designs and smart technology from the comfort of home.”

ShopNBC Can’t Afford Charla Rines, But It’s Paying The New President $400,000 A Year

ShopNBC's $400,000 man

ShopNBC is paying its new president, QVC and Macy’s veteran Bob Ayd, a base salary of $400,000, according to a filing with federal regulators Wednesday.

After the market closed, ShopNBC stealthily filed an 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Ayd’s compensation package. The 61-year-old, named the network’s president Feb. 1, will receive an annual base salary of $400,000, according to the filing.

He also “will have a fiscal year 2010 incentive opportunity to earn up to 65 percent of his annual base salary.” If we can translate that into English, we think he can get up to 65 percent of his salary, or $260,000 on top of his annual wages, as a bonus if he hits his numbers. ShopNBC is also relocating Ayd.

As part of the deal, ShopNBC granted Ayd options to purchase 350,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price equal to the fair market value on the date of grant — or $3.99 on Feb. 1 — 280,000 of which vest over three years and 70,000 of which vest upon his relocation to Minnesota.

Canned host Charla Rines

This all may not sit well with fans of veteran ShopNBC host Charla Rines, who was let go by the network in January. Presumably, as a old-timer at ShopNBC, Rines was making a good salary, which may have helped pave the way for her demise. Or her age could have done her in. Either way, many ShopNBC viewers are not happy, according to the posts on our blog on her exit.

Ayd signed a non-compete agreement, and will receive an amount equal to his base salary, namely $400,000, if he is terminated without cause during his first year of employment.

Ayd served as executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at QVC domestic from 2006 to 2008. He also served as senior vice president of design Ddvelopment & global sourcing and brand development from 2005 to 2006, and as senior vice president of jewelry andfFashion from 2000 to 2004.

Ayd began his career at Macy’s in 1975 as a buyer of handbags, bodywear and footwear, launching a 20-year tenure that included promotion to numerous executive leadership positions, culminating with senior vice president in women’s sportswear. Ayd was an independent consultant from 2008 to 2009.

When Ayd was named ShopNBC president, CEO Keith Stewart voluntarily relinquished his title as president, while continuing as CEO and a director. Ayd reports to Stewart.