How the Food Network has Grown … and Changed and is Changing Again

It’s been a couple weeks since the Newsday article came out about the beginnings of and current trends of the Food Network … It’s also about a couple weeks before Food Network turns it’s eye inward and covers itself in one of it’s own Chefography episodes on … yes, the Food Network. So at this in between time, let’s take a peek at that Newsweek article and explore where FN started and is going.

Nope, changed my mind. Want the history lesson, then best to read the article. It’s nice to know how things were and who was there, but I’m more interested in the present and the future. And here’s the most interesting details to me:

The Food Network broadcasts 141.5 hours of programming each week. Nearly half of that time, 65.5 hours, is filled by shows, most of them repeats, hosted by seven personalities. Here’s how they stack up:

Rachel Ray: 14 hours (that’s 10 percent of total programming)
Alton Brown: 12 1/2 hours
Bobby Flay: 9 1/2 hours
Paula Deen: 8 1/2 hours
Giada De Laurentiis and Ina Garten (tie): 7 1/2 hours each
Sandra Lee: 6 hours

Wow! Even I never realized Rachel Ray was on that much. It’s also surprising to see both Alton and Bobby are on more than Paula and Giada as it seems like it’s always either Rachel, Paula or Giada every time I randomly turn on FN. Not the “guys” at all. Huh. Who knew?

The article goes on with: “‘The dump-and-stir is over,’ Batali said, using industry parlance for the straight cooking show.” And how the mornings and early afternoons are the cooking shows, the weekend afternoons and all the evenings are food reality shows like various challenge programs such as Iron Chef America, et al.

The article surprises me in one important way though. It starts to touch on the leaving of quality top chefs and the giving away to home-economics kitchen cooks, then — for some reason — it doesn’t go there. Something we’ve talked about before here … because there is a lot of talk about it “out there”.

PS - Want just a single example of “lots of talk”? Then check out this thread on ChowHound forums.

Sandra Lee and Duff Goldman launch SOS Charity Bake Sale Event

Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry, announced today that it is launching its fifth annual Great American Bake Sale. Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale, hosted by Sandra Lee and Duff Goldman and presented by Domino Sugar and C&H Sugar, is a national campaign that mobilizes Americans to end childhood hunger by holding bake sales in their communities. Since 2003, more than a million people have participated in the Great American Bake Sale, raising nearly $4 million to fight hunger in communities across America.

By participating in the Great American Bake Sale, people can help Share Our Strength get low-income children access to healthy, nutrition meals,” said Billy Shore, Executive Director of Share Our Strength. “Bake sale funds will be used to purchase equipment and utensils to serve children meals and to cover the cost to open additional sites where children can get meals.” Anyone can hold a bake sale with their friends, family or co-workers from now through June 30 by registering at the Great American Bake Sale site.