Jeff Mauro’s New Series $24 in 24 Premiers
NEW YORK – August 20, 2012 – Sandwich King Jeff Mauro joins the Food Network primetime lineup this fall with the new seven-episode, half-hour series $24 in 24, where Jeff discovers the best cheap, local eats in cities across America. Each week, he hits a new locale with a budget of just $24 to find the tastiest breakfast, lunch and dinner in town. From unexpected mom and pop shops to globally inspired spots, Jeff’s coast-to-coast journey proves great food doesn’t have to break the bank. $24 in 24 premieres Monday, September 24th at 10:30pm ET/PT, while Jeff’s hit daytime series Sandwich King returned for a third season on Saturday, September 9th at 11am ET/PT.Food Network Renews “Trisha’s Southern Kitchen”
FOOD NETWORK PICKS UP SECOND SEASON OF HIT
DAYTIME SERIES TRISHA’S SOUTHERN KITCHEN
Grammy-Winning® Music Superstar and Best-Selling Cookbook Author Trisha Yearwood Returns for Thirteen-Episode New Season, Slated to Premiere Fall 2012
NEW YORK – June 20, 2012 – Food Network has ordered a new season of the hit daytime series Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, starring music superstar and best-selling cookbook author Trisha Yearwood. The show’s thirteen-episode, second cycle will begin production this summer and is slated to premiere in the fall. In Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, she shares her food traditions, updates classic dishes and displays her southern hospitality, cooking family-inspired, down-home recipes with her friends and family. Each themed episode invites viewers into Trisha’s kitchen for favorite meals and beloved family stories.
“Our viewers loved seeing a different side of Trisha. Her impressive cooking skills and family recipes, coupled with her natural southern charm, really resonated with our audience,” said Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network. “We’re thrilled Trisha will be returning for a second season with more delicious dishes and family traditions.”
“I had so much fun doing the first season of the show. It was such a great experience, and the positive response from viewers was overwhelming and truly gratifying. I’ve always believed that food brings people together. I can’t wait to share more family memories and recipes with Food Network fans,” said Yearwood.
Trisha Yearwood, who has won three Grammy Awards®, two Academy of Country Music Awards, three Country Music Association honors and had 19 top-ten singles, released her first best-selling cookbook “Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen” (Clarkson Potter) in 2008. Her second book “Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood” (Clarkson Potter) followed in 2010. Both books reached the #1 position on the New York Times best-seller list in the Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous category.
Food Network Canceled?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04/01/12
POPULAR FOOD NETWORK TO CEASE PROGRAMMING AT MONTH’S END
New York City – The E.W. Scripps Company announced today that after 19 years in production their popular Food Network will cease programming at the end of April. The move took many in assembly by surprise. The press conference was held at Chelsea Market on 75 9th Avenue, home of the Food Network Studios.
Milton Funderburk, Acting Assistant Vice-Chairman of Cable Programming for Scripps was asked why the media conglomerate was closing the doors on its most popular cable franchise, “The time is right. After all when we purchased TFN back in ’97 we thought it would fail miserably. That was the plan.
“We acquired the Network as a tax right off. We never dreamed anyone would actually watch it. Our thought was why would anyone want to watch someone else cooking on TV? I mean if they wanted to see someone cook, they could just go cook something. Apparently we under estimated the American public’s desire to live vicariously.”
Comments from Guy Fieri on Food Network’s pending demise. Article continues below.
Since the Food Network began programming in 1993 viewership has continued to grow though it was shaky in the beginning. Those first shows featured chefs who were virtual unknowns like Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Emeril Legasse. Now it is one of the most successful cable channels in television history which fueled more questions about why Scripps was giving TFN the axe.
Funderburk explained, “It wasn’t long after we took the Network over that we realized, we may have stumbled onto something here. Viewership was growing exponentially and other vicariousity networks were springing up. Not only were viewers watching people cooking instead of cooking themselves but they were watching the Travel Channel instead of going on vacation, eschewing exercise for the Fitness Channel and watching HGTV in living rooms that were literally falling apart around them. I’ve heard that Time Warner is actually planning on unveiling the Sleeping Channel for people who are too lazy to fall asleep for themselves.
“The trend even crossed over into mainstream media. Instead of keeping up with politics America was watching The West Wing. There was no reason to invite the annoying neighbor over when you could tune into Jay Leno. Why watch fact-based news programming when there was MSNBC?”
When asked about the future of Food Network Canada Funderburk replied, “That’s toast, too. Not that anyone will notice, it’s Canada. I know it’s the largest state in the US but hardly anyone lives there. Let’s be honest if it wasn’t for the band Rush America would have never bought Canada from the Alaskans.”
The ultimate reason Funderburk offered for 86’ing their most popular holding was it’s very popularity. The demand for food programming is so high that not only have other cable channels like Bravo and TLC entered the market but so have mainstream networks NBC and FOX.
Funderburk, noticeably angry, proclaimed, “If there is one thing I can’t stand it is being copied. If everyone is going to dabble with food programming then we’ll just wash our hands of the whole thing. It doesn’t matter to us. We’ve always got our newspaper division. That’s not going anywhere.”
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Martha Scorned
There was a time when Martha Stewart ruled the airwaves with helpful hints and creative ideas for the kitchen. But that was a long, long time ago. Today Martha can be seen on Halmark (which is 
apparently a TV channel). Or make that Martha was last seen on Halmark.
The Martha Stewart Show is being canceled by Hallmark in May. Why? An average audience of just 225,000 viewers for starters. That’s less than Polish stock car racing gets. Extremely high production costs is another. Adding salt to the wound, Home Depot is dumping Martha Stewart-branded paint and the value of Martha Stewart Living’s stock is plunging. Finally, moving into to Martha’s old studio at Chelsea Market is Rachael Ray.
Yes, the very same Rachael Ray that Martha once described as, “more of an entertainer than she is, with her bubbly personality, than she is a teacher like me,” on ABC’s “Nightline.” She went on to say that one of Rachael’s cookbooks was “not good enough for me.” The same Rachael Ray who’s show long ago replaced Martha’s as the “go to” lifestyle show. I guess “bubbly” is Martha-speak for likable.
Well, apparently seeing the newer, younger, hipper version of herself was too much for Martha last week when she and “RaRay” just happened to dine at the same Bond St. hot spot, Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria. A witness of the event told the New York Post that, “Martha was staring Rachael down as soon as she walked in with a group of friends. Martha looked disgruntled. You could definitely feel Martha’s heat in that kitchen.”
Rachael, who was accompanied by Time magazine food writer Josh Ozersky, became quite uncomfortable with Stewart’s evil eye and elected to get her entree to go. Stewart’s camp denies their matron was even aware that Ray was on site but according to everyone who was at the restaurant it was obvious that Stewart was aware as she was, “noticeably glaring in Ray’s direction throughout her meal.”
Stewart once condescended of Ray, “I don’t know if she has a garden; I don’t think so.” Well, one thing Rachael does have that Martha doesn’t is a TV show.
By the way, I asked Josh what was in his doggie bag and he told me, “short ribs, of course!“
