MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA: LinkedIn has selected Hill & Knowlton as its AOR following a competitive search, confirmed Kay Luo, director of corporate communications at LinkedIn. The business networking site has also tasked the Dowd Agency to work on broadcast projects. Fleishman-Hillard, Shift Communications, Horn Group, and SparkPR also pitched for the business. The company’s former AOR was Atomic PR.

NEW YORK: Thirteen/WNET New York named Lynne Hoppe director of programming communications effective May 8. Hoppe, former director of communications at the Actors Fund, will oversee the publicly funded station’s publicity efforts for productions and presentations and report directly to the director of communications.

SEATTLE: Visible Technologies has hired Chris Lohman as director of client strategies. Lohman will oversee client service for the TruCast product suite and provide strategic counsel across all Visible accounts. Previously, he was managing director of the Northwest region for JWT Inside, an advertising and marketing services agency.

NEW YORK: TV Guide promoted Debra Birnbaum to editor-in-chief and Craig Tomashoff to executive editor on May 6. Birnbaum, who replaced Ian Birch, oversaw the magazine’s efforts to create cross-platform content. Tomashoff was previously West Coast bureau chief.

NEW YORK: NBC Universal said May 7 that it will launch a 24-hour local cable news channel covering the New York region, including New Jersey and Connecticut. Although local news will still be shown on the WNBC affiliate, the parent company will rebrand its Web site (www.wnbc.com) NBC New York. NBC Universal did not provide a launch date, according to a report in the New York Times.

WASHINGTON, DC: Adfero Group named Michael W. Schick partner, effective May 7. Schick previously worked as SVP at Porter Novelli, head of communications at the US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, COO of Justice Fellowship, and deputy press secretary for US Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC).

WASHINGTON: Former Ketchum VP of public affairs Randy DeCleene is now special assistant for strategic communications to US Army Secretary Pete Geren, a former Texas congressman. Prior to joining Ketchum, DeCleene was deputy press secretary to vice president Dick Cheney.

NEW YORK: Visa launched its first CSR program at the Clinton Global Initiative mid-year meeting on May 2. The program will focus on humanitarian aid and long-term poverty alleviation through support of microfinance programs, development of technologies and payment infrastructure to expand access to financial services, and financial literacy programs. Visa has partnered with international humanitarian relief organization Oxfam America.

NEW YORK: Effective immediately, PR Newswire (PRN) will waive distribution fees for press releases that announce initiatives to aid relief efforts for victims of the Myanmar cyclone. Releases will be translated into multiple languages in order to be distributed throughout Asia, Western Europe, and Latin America. The program will continue through midnight, May 11.

SAN MATEO, CA: Biz360 has secured $10 million in financing from Foundation Capital, Granite Ventures, and Scale Venture Partners. The funding will be used to expand the company’s product line and boost marketing and sales personnel. New products will focus on emerging market research opportunities based on consumer Web activity.