Food Network

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the U.S. channel. For the Canadian version, see
Food Network (Canadian TV channel). For other uses, see Food Network (disambiguation)
.

Food Network
SDTV feed)
Timeshift serviceFood Network +1 (UK)
Ownership
Owner
ParentTelevision Food Network, G.P.
Sister channels
List
History
LaunchedNovember 23, 1993; 30 years ago (1993-11-23)
Former namesTV Food Network (1993–97)
Links
Websitefoodnetwork.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview (UK)Channel 43
Streaming media
fuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Philo, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo

Food Network is an American

Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group (which owns the remaining 31%). Despite this ownership structure, Warner Bros. Discovery has operating control of the channel, and manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both special
and regular episodic programs about food and cooking.

In addition to its headquarters in

Knoxville
.

Food Network was established on November 23, 1993, 6:00 am as TV Food Network and in 1997, it adopted its current name. It was acquired by Scripps Networks Interactive; Scripps Networks Interactive later merged with Discovery, Inc. in 2018, and WarnerMedia was merged with Discovery, Inc. to form a single company, Warner Bros. Discovery. As of September 2018, 91 million households receive Food Network (98.6% of households with cable) in the United States.[1]

History

In 1990, Providence Journal company president Trygve Myhren was attempting to grow the company and decided that basic cable programming at the time was a high growth area with cable companies beginning to expand their overall channel capacities. With many basic cable channels at the time, Myhren was looking for something different. With food selected as the channel's genre, the working title for the channel was The Cooking Channel up until the channel's launch. Myhren hired Jack Clifford, Joe Langhan and Reese Schonfeld, co-founder of CNN, to help found the channel. Schonfeld, Landghan and Clifford were CEO, vice president of production and president. Both The Cooking Channel and the Food Network trademarks were taken by other entities, with the Food Network being a newsletter. Myrhen originally wanted the network to be operated from Providence, Rhode Island as he argued that a cable network's costs were much more scalable from a lower-profile location, while Schonfeld preferred it be originated from New York, considered the American nucleus of culinary arts; Schonfeld's preference eventually won out, though at the peril of the network's launch budget, which was lower than it would have been from Providence.[2]

Food Network was formed on April 19, 1993, as "TV Food Network"; its legal name remains Television Food Network, G. P. After acquiring the Food Network trademark after several years, it shortened the name to that. The network initially launched on November 22, 1993, with two initial shows featuring David Rosengarten, Donna Hanover, and Robin Leach. On November 23, 1993, Food Network began live broadcasting.[3] Its original partners included the Journal itself, Adelphia, Scripps-Howard, Continental Cablevision, Cablevision, and most importantly, the Tribune Company, which provided the network's technical output.

Given that the channel could not afford to not run anything that they would produce, the channel started taping 5 shows with a potential host to see if they worked. This was later turned into Chef Du Jour series.[2]

Former logo, used from 1997 to December 31, 2002.

Schonfeld was appointed as managing director of TV Food Network and maintained a spot on its management board along with two Providence Journal employees. The original lineup for the network included Emeril Lagasse (Essence of Emeril), Debbi Fields, Donna Hanover, David Rosengarten, Curtis Aikens, Dr. Louis Aronne, Jacques Pépin, and Robin Leach. The following year, the network acquired the rights to the Julia Child library from WGBH.

In 1995, Schonfeld resigned as managing director of the network, but remained on its board until 1998, when he sold his interest in the company to Scripps. In 1996, Erica Gruen was hired as the president and CEO of TV Food Network, becoming the second woman in history to be the CEO of a U.S. television network. Gruen led the network into an explosive growth until 1998, by launching the largest website for food, FoodNetwork.com, more than doubling the subscriber base, tripling the viewership and multiplying the network's yearly revenue.[4] In 1997, it was the second fastest growing cable network. Gruen changed the brand positioning from Schonfeld's "TV for people who cook" to "TV for everyone who loves to eat," thereby greatly improving the appeal to viewers and advertisers, and saving the network from bankruptcy. That same year, the "TV" portion of the name was dropped, thus making it simply Food Network. Greg Willis and Cathy Rasenberger were two of the original members of the start-up team who led the affiliate sales and marketing of the company from 1995 to 1998. Greg Willis served as senior vice president of worldwide distribution until he left to join Liberty Media in 1998.

Food Network logo used from January 1, 2003 to January 5, 2013. On January 6, 2013, a new version of this logo was introduced with a different font.

The

San Antonio, Texas.[5]

The 1080i high definition simulcast feed of Food Network launched on March 31, 2008.

Food Network was first launched outside of North America in the

Sky,[7] the channel has been added to the Freesat,[8] Freeview[9] and Virgin Media platforms.[10]

In January 2015, the Food Network collaborated with Snapchat and launched its own Food Network channel, "Discover Food Network", where social media users can watch the channel through the app. The channel features recipes, food hacks, and tips to entertain and appeal to the social media savvy millennials of today while watching from the palm of their hands.[11]

In June 2020,

transgender woman to be featured in the history of Food Network, through the 20th season of the hit reality-competition series Worst Cooks in America.[12]

Food Network programming

Further information:
List of programs broadcast by Food Network

Food Network programming is divided into a

infomercials. The UK channel broadcasts from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. (UK time GMT/BST
as applicable) daily.

Mario Batali and Bobby Flay joined the network in 1995. In 1996, Erica Gruen, the network's CEO created Emeril Live!, which became the channel's signature series. Although Batali has moved on to other endeavors, Flay still appears regularly on many programs, including Iron Chef America, the channel's well-received remake of the original Japanese series. Iron Chef America's host, Alton Brown, gained a cult following for his Good Eats, which mixed science, cooking and off-beat humor. Later the network had a series entitled, "Ruggerio to Go" hosted by David Ruggerio.

In 2002, Food Network made an appeal to the home cook by adding Paula's Home Cooking, hosted by Paula Deen. Home Cooking focused mostly on Southern cuisine and comfort food. The show took overly complicated recipes and classic dishes and broke them down for the home cook. The show did increasingly well, and Deen revamped the show in a series called Paula's Best Dishes. In this series, friends and family members would join her in the kitchen and put a twist on classics and introduce new recipes. In June 2013, Food Network announced that they were not renewing Deen's contract due to publicity about her racial remarks revealed in a lawsuit brought on by a former worker.[13]

Also in 2002, Ina Garten's show Barefoot Contessa aired. Garten is well known for cookbooks, including The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, and Barefoot Contessa in Paris. Garten was also mentored by Martha Stewart. Garten's show features her cooking for her husband or hosting friends at their home in the Hamptons, New York.[14] Barefoot Contessa typically has about one million viewers per episode, and has received some of the highest ratings for Food Network.

Currently, the channel's biggest cross-over stars are

Positively Paula. Both Paula Deen and Rachael Ray
also have merchandise lines of cookware, food products and pet lines.

Beginning in 2005, an annual reality contest,

Ten Dollar Dinners), and Aarti Sequeira (Aarti Party).[16] For the 2010 season, production of The Next Food Network Star was relocated to Los Angeles. It has become the network's flagship show. For most of its 13-year run, season finales of the show have been followed by lead-out shows the network deems has great potential and will draw even more viewers. These consist of either premieres of new shows, season premieres of continuing shows, or episodes of continuing shows that are significant to the schedule. For instance, the most recent season finale of Star was followed by the season premiere of Beat Bobby Flay
.

In December 2007, The New York Times business section published an article on the end of Emeril Lagasse's show Emeril Live, and quoted Brooke Johnson, the president, as saying that Lagasse "remains a valued member of the Food Network family".[17] Derek Baine, senior analyst at the media research firm SNL Kagan, is reported to have commented, "It's not surprising that people move on... They pay almost nothing for the people as they are building their careers... That's been their strategy all along". The article also commented on the declining popularity of the Food Network whose daily ratings were reported had fallen "to an average of 544,000 people from 580,000 a year [earlier]". It noted, "More significant, its signature weekend block of instructional programs, known collectively as 'In the Kitchen,' has lost 15 percent of its audience in the last year, to 830,000 viewers on average. This had left the network owing refunds, known as 'make goods,' to advertisers." Erica Gruen, president and CEO of the Food Network from 1996 to 1998 who created Emeril Live during her tenure, was reported to have blamed the decline on increased competition, "There's all sorts of instructional cooking video on the Web".[17] But it reported that, "Bob Tuschman, Food Network's senior vice president for programming and production, said the weekend ratings drop was 'nothing we haven't anticipated'. He said the network's ratings in that time period grew by double digits in each of the last four years, growth that could not be sustained."[17] It also wrote, "About a year ago, the Food Network began aggressively trying to change that with new deals that were 'way more onerous' from the stars' point of view, said a person who has been affected by the changing strategy, by insisting on a stake in book deals and licensing ventures, and control over outside activities.[17]

Carriage

Past American carriage disputes

On January 1, 2010, HGTV and Food Network were removed from cable provider Cablevision, which operates systems serving areas surrounding New York City. Scripps removed HGTV and Food Network from Cablevision following the expiration of the company's carriage contract on December 31, 2009; Cablevision and Scripps had been in negotiations for several months to agree on a new contract, but no progress had been made. The discontinuance of Food Network from Cablevision led the channel to make arrangements with Tribune-owned CW affiliates WPIX in New York City and WTXX in Hartford, Connecticut, to broadcast a special episode of Iron Chef America with First Lady Michelle Obama on January 10, 2010, after that episode enjoyed high ratings on its January 3 cable premiere.[18] On January 21, 2010, Cablevision and Scripps reached an agreement that resulted in Food Network and HGTV being restored on Cablevision's systems that day.[19]

A similar carriage dispute with

Great American Country being dropped by the provider on November 5, 2010;[20] the dispute was resolved two days later, on November 7, 2010, after the two parties reached a new carriage agreement.[21][22]

Food Network properties in video games

Red Fly Studio developed a video game for the

Namco Bandai Games and was released on November 3, 2009, simulates real cooking experiences.[23][24] Players can also try out the recipes featured on the game. There is also a video game based on Iron Chef America entitled Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine.[25] The PC game Cooking Simulator also has extended downloadable content branded with Food Network, including a kitchen which resembles a Food Network competitive cooking show's studio, complete with a studio audience section. This simulator was developed by Big Cheese studio and was released on October 24, 2019.[26]

International variants

UK and Ireland

In accordance with an agreement between Scripps and

Chellomedia, Food Network programs started to air internationally in the fourth quarter of 2009 in the United Kingdom and then in other markets in early 2010.[27]

Food Network UK initially launched on the Sky platform as a free-to-air channel, joined by a +1 hour timeshift, taking the channel slots vacated by the closure of Real Estate TV. (Following Scripps' acquisition of Travel Channel International, the four channel positions on Sky were reordered to move Food Network up the grid.) Food Network and +1 were subsequently also made available on the Freesat satellite platform.

On terrestrial service Freeview, initially a four-hour primetime evening block was acquired, sharing capacity with channels including Create and Craft; subsequently Food Network relocated to its own full-day service, with the four-hour berth used to bring Travel Channel to DTT. (Travel has since itself moved to all-day operation, with the evening hours now absorbed into Create & Craft.) Scripps subsequently signed a carriage deal with Virgin Media to bring Food Network and Travel Channel to the cable platform (in Travel's case this was a re-addition following its earlier removal from the cable platform.)

In September 2019 it was announced that the former UKTV channel Good Food, which Discovery had acquired full control of earlier in the year, would be closed from September 12, 2019, with its content merged into Food Network UK.[28]

Elsewhere

Some countries have their own Food Network. Examples include:

Australian IPTV service Fetch TV.[30][31]
The channel launched in Latin America in March 2015 with full Spanish dubbed programs.

A localized

Australian version was launched on November 17, 2015 by SBS, which had a licensing and programming output arrangement with Scripps.[32] Another reiteration, the Seven Network's 7food network began broadcasting in December 2018 after SBS's deal ended in November 2018. After lower than expected ratings, 7food network closed on December 28, 2019, although select Food Network shows continued to air on sister network 7flix
until December 1, 2020.

In Australia, Food Network currently screens on

IPTV service Fetch on channel 136. [33]

On December 1, 2018,

Discovery Networks Asia Pacific rebranded its Food TV channel in New Zealand to a New Zealand version of Food Network.[34] On February 3, 2021, Sky announced that Food Network would close in New Zealand and a selection of Food Network shows would be moved to its sister channel, Living. On March 1, 2021 the channel was replaced by Investigation Discovery.[35]

Food Network was available in the Netherlands and Flanders between April 22, 2010

Discovery, TLC and Investigation Discovery in the Benelux.[37]

Television Food Network, G.P.

Founded in 1993, the company's business includes visual and textual television programs on a subscription or fee basis. In 2011, Scripps requested to add its Cooking Channel (formerly Fine Living Network) to the partnership, and Tribune agreed for $350 million, Tribune would need to add additional capital.[38]

Criticism

Consumerism and programming

While Food Network programming generally does not explicitly advertise products, author Cheri Ketchum argues that Food Network advertises a lifestyle that is consistent with the norms of consumer culture.

food waste and environmental impacts of food production.[39] Critics of Food Network such as Michael Z. Newman argue that the use of lighting and close-ups, along with the use of conventionally attractive hosts, create a fetishization of desirable foods and a consumerist lifestyle.[40]

Racial representation

Critics complain of disproportionate racial representation in Food Network programming. Tasha Oren argues that the overrepresentation of Asian-Americans in competition shows on the network, along with the lack of representation of Asian-Americans as hosts of programs, contributes to the "model minority" stereotype of Asian-Americans.[41] However, Oren also offers the perspective that competition shows are viewed by network management as a low-risk entry point for hosts, especially those for whom a program may not be well received by audiences.[41]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Nielsen coverage estimates for September see gains at ESPN networks, drops at MLBN and NFLN". Awful Announcing. September 10, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Sugar, Rachel (November 30, 2017). "How Food Network Turned Big-city Chef Culture Into Middle-America Pop Culture". Grub Street. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  3. ^ The New School (September 30, 2013), The Founding of the Food Network: A 20 Year Retrospective, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved August 6, 2018
  4. ^ "Food Network President and CEO Erica Gruen leaving network". www.scripps.com. The E.W. Scripps Company. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  5. ^ "History of A.H. Belo Corporation". International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 30. St. James Press. 2000. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via FundingUniverse.
  6. ^ Food Business News: Schroeder, Eric "Food Network to launch in international markets" November 4, 2009. (Registration required to view entire article.)
  7. ^ "Food Network coming to Sky". Digital Spy. October 6, 2009.
  8. ^ "Food Network launches on Freesat". Digital Spy. December 14, 2009.
  9. ^ "Food Network to launch on Freeview". Digital Spy. July 6, 2011.
  10. ^ "Food Network, Travel Channel come to Virgin Media TV". Digital Spy. June 19, 2013.
  11. ^ "Food Network Launches New "Discover Food Network" Channel on Snapchat". Food Network. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 20: Meet the Recruits". Food Network. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  13. ^ "Paula Deen Dropped by Food Network After Racial Slur Controversy". People Magazine. June 21, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  14. ^ "Ina Garten". Food Network. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  15. ^ "Aaron McCargo, Jr". Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  16. ^ Slezak, Michael (August 16, 2010). "'Next Food Network Star' season finale recap: And the winner is..." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  17. ^ a b c d Changing Courses at the Food Network, New York Times, December 17, 2007
  18. ^ Wall Street Journal: "Scripps to Offer Free Show In Fight With Cablevision", January 6, 2010. (Subscription required to view entire article.)
  19. ^ Scripps, Cablevision Deal Returns Food Network, HGTV to Subscribers Archived March 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, The Wrap, January 21, 2010
  20. ^ AT&T's U-verse Drops Food Network, HGTV and Other Scripps Networks, Chicago Tribune, November 5, 2010
  21. ^ Food Network, HGTV, Back on U-verse, Chicago Tribune, November 7, 2010
  22. ^ AT&T U-verse, Scripps Reconnect on Carriage Contract, MultiChannel News, November 7, 2010
  23. ^ Nelson, Randy (April 30, 2009). "Joystiq impressions: Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked". Joystiq.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  24. ^ Brion, Raphael (October 22, 2009). "Upcoming: Food Network's Cook or Be Cooked Video Game". EatMeDaily.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
  25. ISBN 9781476766157
    .
  26. ^ "Cooking Simulator - Cooking with Food Network on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  27. ^ "Scripps, Chello to launch Food Network overseas". Business Courier of Cincinnati. October 5, 2009.
  28. ^ RXTV-log, 2019-09-05[permanent dead link]
  29. ^ http://www.vcfaz.tv/artigo.php?t=216209, Vc Faz, August 31, 2014.
  30. ^ Knox, David (December 9, 2014). "Fetch TV adds BBC First". TV Tonight. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  31. ^ Perry, Kevin (December 9, 2014). "Big Blow for Foxtel as they Lose Exclusive Rights for Premium Drama Channel BBC First". Nelbie. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  32. ^ Knox, David (October 22, 2015). "Food Network to launch on SBS November 17". TV Tonight. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  33. ^ "Fetch TV channel listing". December 29, 2021.
  34. Sky Network Television. October 26, 2018. Archived from the original
    on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  35. ^ "Channel Changes FAQs - Sky". Sky. February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  36. ^ Jarco Kriek (April 20, 2010). "Food Network Channel in Nederland beschikbaar". TotaalTV.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  37. ^ Jarco Kriek (November 28, 2018). "Travel Channel, Fine Living en Food Network stoppen in Benelux" (in Dutch). TotaalTV.nl.
  38. ^ Brickley, Peg. (February 14, 2011) Tribune Seeks to Keep Food Network Stake. Wall Street Journal. Accessed on August 26, 2013.
  39. ^
    JSTOR j.ctt9qg15n
    .
  40. JSTOR j.ctt9qght3
    .
  41. ^
    JSTOR j.ctt18040jc
    .

External links

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