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A&N Sporting Goods Hires Radio, TV Help ATLANTA--The string of A&N Sporting Goods stores in Richmond, Va., has assigned its first media creative project work after a 132-year history of handling all advertising internally. Local agencies Arnold Communications and Burford Advertising were given television and radio duties, respectively, as a "test run" before one is awarded both broadcast chores, said Ron Britt, A&N's operations manager. Britt said a winner would be named by mid-July. Print advertising will remain in-house. The independently owned A&N operates 55 stores in Virginia. Luna Wines Appoints HLA Advertising ATLANTA--HLA Advertising & Public Relations in Tampa, Fla., has been hired to implement a national marketing communications campaign for Luna di Luna wines. The agency will reposition the existing blended wines and launch two new products with a "Perfect blends for every taste" tagline. Columbia, Md.-based AV Imports, which will distribute the wine in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, also considered Axiom Communications of Baltimore, and Trone Advertising in Greensboro, N.C. The latter had to withdraw because of a conflict, and recommended HLA. Billings are estimated at $150,000. 2 Richmond Agencies Merge Operations ATLANTA--Richmond, Va., shops Thurston and Chapman Advertising have merged, creating the new marketing communications and full-service advertising agency Thurston Chapman & Associates. With combined billings of about $15 million and 30 employees, the shop will operate in two separate offices until January 2000. Principals Chris Thurston and Bill Chapman are both 1987 graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Healthcare Marketing Pro Joins Rockett ATLANTA--Rockett Burkhead & Winslow has hired John Musante as senior vice president and director of healthcare accounts. Musante comes to the Raleigh, N.C., shop after 14 years with Glaxo Wellcome. While at Glaxo, Musante developed marketing strategies for various consumer segments of the healthcare industry. He will now manage the agency's growing healthcare group, which has added three such accounts billing more than $10 million in the last two years. Barker Campbell Farley Dismisses Staffers ATLANTA--Barker Campbell Farley & Mansfield has released about 10 percent of its employees in the wake of losing the Sentara Health Systems account. Chief executive officer Palmer Farley acknowledged that eight employees had been laid off from the Virginia Beach, Va., agency after Rockett Burkhead & Winslow of Raleigh, N.C., won the $3 million healthcare account from the incumbent. BCF&M, which has about $40 million in annual billings, held the account for five years and sporadically over the past 15 years.

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