Food Network
Launched	November 23, 1993
Owned by	Scripps Networks Interactive (70%) Tribune Company (30%)
Picture format	480i (SD) 1080i (HD)
Slogan	Way More Than Cooking
Headquarters	New York City, New York
Sister channel(s)	Cooking Channel DIY Network Great American Country HGTV Travel Channel
Website	http://www.foodnetwork.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview (UK)	Channel 49 (18:00-22:00 only)
Satellite
DirecTV	231 (SD/HD) 1231 (VOD)
Dish Network	110 (SD/HD) 9462 (HD)
Sky (UK & Ireland)	Channel 262 Channel 263 (+1)
Freesat (UK)	Channel 405 Channel 406 (+1)
DStv	Channel 185
Cable
Available on most cable systems	Check local listings
Smallworld Cable (UK)	Channel 222 Channel 223 (+1)
UPC Ireland (Ireland)	Channel 508
Internet television
Meo Online	Watch live (Portugal only)

Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring (episodic) programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent.

The network is seen in more than ninety million households. In addition to New York City, it has offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Jersey City, Cincinnati and Knoxville, Tennessee.

History[link]

Food Network was founded on April 19, 1993 as TV Food Network, and launched on November 23 of that year; its legal name is still Television Food Network, G.P. Within a few years, the network had shortened its on-air brand name. It was created by Reese Schonfeld (one of the founders of CNN), under the direction of Trygve Myrhen, President of The Providence Journal. Its original partners included the Journal itself, Adelphia, Scripps-Howard, Continental Cablevision, Cablevision, and most importantly, Chicago's Tribune Company, which provided the network's technical output.

Schonfeld, who was also a partner in the company, was appointed its Managing Director and sat 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 Arrone, Jacques Pépin and Robin Leach. The next 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.

The Food Network had been acquired from the A. H. Belo Corp. Corporation by the E. W. Scripps Company in 1997, trading KENS-AM/TV in San Antonio, Texas, for it. Belo had acquired the network when it purchased The Providence Journal Company in 1996. Myrhen left the Journal company the following year. In March 2009, the Food Network launched a re-purposed Food.com as a bookmarking site that lets users aggregate and search for recipes from different sources online.

Food Network was first launched internationally in the UK on November 9, 2009, and in Asia on July 5, 2010 (on StarHub TV's Channel 433 and Channel 468 for the HD version of Food Network Asia).^[1] Since the UK launch on November 9, 2009 on Sky,^[2] the channel has been added to the Freesat^[3] and Freeview^[4] platforms.

Programming[link]

Food Network programming is divided into daytime coverage known as "Food Network in the Kitchen" and primetime coverage the network calls "Food Network Nighttime". Generally, "In the Kitchen" is dedicated to instructional cooking programs while "Nighttime" features food-related entertainment programs, such as cooking competitions, food-related travel shows, and reality shows. Promos identify "Food Network Nighttime" programming but not daytime programming. Many of the channel's personalities routinely pull double-duty (or more) — hosting both daytime and nighttime programming — and the channel regularly offers specials which typically either follow its personalities on working vacations, or bring together a number of personalities for a themed cooking event.

Mario Batali and Bobby Flay joined the network in 1995. In 1996 Joe Langhan, an executive producer at The Food Network, created Emeril Live!, which became the channel's signature series. Among other duties, Flay and Batali now appear regularly on Iron Chef America, the channel's well-received remake of the original Japanese series. America's host, Alton Brown, gained a cult following for his Good Eats, which mixes science, cooking and offbeat humor. Currently the channel's biggest cross-over star is Rachael Ray, who has parlayed her cable following (primarily through the series 30 Minute Meals and $40 a Day into a syndicated talk show.

Beginning in 2005, an annual reality contest, The Next Food Network Star, has brought viewers to New York to compete for their own show. Previous winners include Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh (Party Line with The Hearty Boys), Guy Fieri (Guy's Big Bite, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, "Guy Off the Hook," "Ultimate Recipe Showdown," "Guy's Big Night," "Guy's Family Feast"), Amy Finley (The Gourmet Next Door), Aaron McCargo, Jr. (Big Daddy's House),^[5] Melissa d'Arabian (Ten Dollar Dinners) and Aarti Sequeira (Aarti Party).^[6] For the 2010 season, the Next Food Network Star has relocated to Los Angeles.

In accordance with an agreement between Scripps and Chellomedia, Food Network programs started to air abroad in the fourth quarter of 2009 in the United Kingdom and then in other markets in early 2010.^[7]

Food Network HD[link]

Food Network HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of Food Network. It originally aired a different lineup than the SD version, with only HD programs. On March 31, 2008 Food Network (along with HGTV) relaunched an HD simulcast of its standard definition feed. As a result, the programming is now identical on both channels, with upconverted and stretched versions of standard definition programs being shown when no high definition version is available.

Some cable companies broadcast the HD versions of programming on the east coast time slot (similar to satellite practices) with the SD version being broadcast in its normal timeslot. This only impacts cable networks and does not change local programming.

Food Network video game[link]

Food Network has released Cook or Be Cooked, a video game for the Wii console. The game, which was developed by Namco, simulates real cooking experiences and was released on November 3, 2009.^[8][9] Players can also try out the recipes featured on the game.

Carriage disputes[link]

Dispute with Cablevision[link]

On January 1, 2010 HGTV and Food Network were removed from Cablevision, a major cable company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. Scripps removed HGTV and Food Network from Cablevision's programming following the expiration of their 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 WPIX in New York and WTXX in Hartford, Connecticut to broadcast a special episode of Iron Chef America with First Lady Michelle Obama on Sunday, January 10, 2010, after that episode enjoyed high ratings on its January 3 cable premiere. ^[10] On January 21, 2010 Cablevision and Scripps came to an agreement and Food Network and HGTV were restored to the cable systems that day.^[11]

Dispute with AT&T[link]

AT&T U-verse dropped Food Network, Cooking Channel, HGTV, DIY Network and Great American Country on November 5, 2010;^[12] two days later, on November 7, 2010, the dispute was resolved.^[13][14]

Media comment[link]

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".^[15]

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".^[15]

The article also commented on the declining popularity of the Food Network whose day ratings it reported had fallen "to an average of 544,000 people from 580,000 a year ago". 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."^[15]

Erica Gruen, former president and CEO of the Food Network (1995–1998) 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".^[15]

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."^[15]

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.^[15]

Similar to the departure of Emeril Lagasse was that of David Rosengarten. In the foreword to his book Taste, Erica Gruen noted that the show had been the very first in-house production at Food Network and had become its most popular show. Yet after her departure at the end of 1998, the show was relegated to a 1:00 am broadcast time resulting in its inevitable drop in ratings and final demise. This strange and, on the surface, contrary to interest conduct by the network has never been explained.^[16]

See also[link]

• List of programs broadcast by the Food Network
• Food Network (Canada)
• List of Dish Network channels
• List of DirecTV channels
• The Food Network Awards

References[link]

External links[link]

	United States portal
	Television portal
	Food portal

• Official website
• Food Network HD
• Food Network Canada
• Food Network UK

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Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray in 2007
Born	Rachael Domenica Ray (1968-08-25) August 25, 1968 (age 43) Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Television personality, businesswoman, author, celebrity chef[1]
Years active	2001–present
Spouse	John Cusimano (2005–present)
Website
"rachelray.com". http://www.rachaelray.com.

Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American television personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef and author. She hosts the syndicated talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray and three Food Network series, 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels and $40 a Day. Ray wrote cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006. Ray's television shows have won two Daytime Emmy Awards.

Personal life[link]

Ray was born in Glens Falls, New York.^[2][3] Her parents are Elsa Scuderi, an Italian (Sicilian) American, and James Ray, who is of French, Scottish and Welsh descent.^[4] She moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts where her family owned four restaurants. When Ray was 8, her family moved to Lake George, New York. Her mother managed restaurants in upstate New York.^[2]

In 1995 Ray moved to New York City.^[5] One of her first jobs there was at the candy counter at Macy's, where she eventually managed the fresh foods department. She later helped open a New York City market. Moving back to upstate New York, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany. Ray credits the concept of 30 Minute Meals to her experience working at the store, where she met people who were reluctant to cook. She taught a course in which she showed how to make meals in less than thirty minutes. With the success of her "30 Minute Meals" classes, WRGB (the local CBS TV affiliate) asked her to appear in a weekly segment on their newscasts. This, along with a public radio appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a Today show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001.

On September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John Cusimano, an American lawyer and lead singer of the rock band "The Cringe." She owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York, and Manhattan's Greenwich Village.^[6][7]

Career[link]

Cooking[link]

Ray teaches simple recipes that she says can be completed in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim that her concept does not include preparation.^[8]

Ray says that her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry serve as a strong influence on her cooking. She uses ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic and chicken stock to boost flavors. She believes that measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking" and instead favors approximations such as "half a palmful". To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had."^[5] She acknowledges that she cannot bake because it requires measured ingredients, that she cannot make coffee, and that she burns bread under the broiler.

On her television programs, she has used catchphrases such as "E-V-O-O" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o," "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entréetizer" (entrée-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew),^[9] and "choup" (thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder).^[10] In 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of the term EVOO, short for extra-virgin olive oil, which Ray had helped to popularize, and credited her with coining the phrase.^[11][12]

The set of 30 Minute Meals uses a yellow Model 61C Chambers stove from the 1950s, notable for its top-opening broiler, super-insulated oven, and unique Thermowell.

On November 12, 2006, Ray and Mario Batali defeated the team of Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis on an episode of Iron Chef America during which cranberries were the secret ingredient. On March 18, 2007, Food Network debuted a Rachael Ray episode of its special Chefography series, on which she stated that "the worst day of [her] life" was Iron Chef America, admitting to being anxious about it for weeks before. She also told commentator Alton Brown that she was "a cook, not a chef."

Television[link]

In 2005, Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show.^[13] The show, Rachael Ray, premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to Oprah.^[14] The show tapes in New York City. In coordination with the syndication announcement, Ray said, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share."

Ray has appeared on The View, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Nightline, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Larry King Live, Cake Boss, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The Dr. Oz Show.

For Sesame Street’s 38th season, Ray appeared in an episode to present "pumpernickel" as the word of the day.

On January 12, 2008, Ray's television series Rachael's Vacation premiered on the Food Network.^[15] The show is a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries.^[16]

In 2008, Ray became a television executive producer^[17] of a short-ran Latin cooking show on the Food Network called Viva Daisy!, starring Daisy Martínez.

In August 2009, Ray appeared as herself on Million Dollar Password for charity for Yum-O! and her own charity for animal rescue with Regis Philbin.

Ray also appeared on the hidden-camera show I Get That a Lot, pretending to be an employee at a dry cleaners.

In September 2010, a new show, her first new cooking show in eight years, Rachael Ray's Week In a Day began airing on the Cooking Channel.

In January 2012, Rachael will be one of the two team captains (along with Guy Fieri) in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.^[18]

Magazines[link]

In 2003, she posed for the men's magazine FHM. A writer for The New York Times wrote, "The shots feature Ray in short-shorts with an exposed midriff, licking chocolate off a big wooden spoon, eating a strawberry and sitting in a sink, laughing as suds cascade down her thighs."^[5] In a March 2009 interview with Nightline co-anchor Cynthia McFadden, Ray defended her decision to pose in the magazine.^[19]

The Reader's Digest Association launched Ray's eponymous magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006, and increased to ten issues in 2007.

On October 12, 2011, it was announced that Meredith Corporation had reached an agreement to acquire Every Day with Rachael Ray. ^[20]

Product endorsements[link]

In November 2006, Ray became a spokeswoman for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have her recipes.

In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray.^[21] Within six months, WestPoint expanded Ray's bed and bath line to include the "Moppine", a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt, as Ray is often seen with a kitchen towel over her shoulder that doubles for her as an ersatz mitt.^[22]

In March 2007, the Dunkin' Donuts company announced Ray as its celebrity endorser, mainly of its coffee, since she had denied being able to make coffee herself.^[23] As part of a promotional campaign, Ray describes the company's coffee as "fantabulous."^[24] Celebrity chef and Travel Channel personality Anthony Bourdain, however, disparagingly referred to Ray's affiliation with Dunkin' Donuts as "evil," and went on to compare it to "endorsing crack for kids."^[25]

In May 2007, Ray's recipes were made available on AT&T cellular phones via the "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature.^[26]

In July 2008, Rachael Ray Nutrish pet food was introduced. The dog foods are created from recipes that Ray developed for her pit bull, Isaboo. All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael's Rescue, a charity founded by Ray to help at-risk animals.^[27]

Awards and recognition[link]

Rachael Ray attending a high school social event in Enterprise, Alabama in 2007

• 2004: ranked #92 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004"
• 2006: ranked #71 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2006"
• 2006: 30 Minute Meals received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show. Ray was also nominated for Outstanding Service Show Host
• 2006: named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. She was nominated by fellow Food Network star Mario Batali^[28]
• 2006: according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $6 million June 2005–June 2006^[29] from her books and television shows (excluding her new series, Rachael Ray)
• February 21, 2007, Ray announced on her show that a wax creation was made of her and that this wax figure will be on display at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City
• 2007: nominated for Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Talk Show Host
• April 2007, Ray launched a charity, "The Yum-O! Organization", with help from Bill Clinton, to help children eat healthier^[30]
• June 2008, The Rachael Ray Show received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment^[31]
• June 2008, according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $18 million June 2007-June 2008^[32]
• June 2009, according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $15 million in the year ending June 2009, as well as naming her as the 79th most powerful celebrity in the world^[33]
• August 2009, The Rachael Ray Show received a second Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment^[34]
• January 2011, Ray won a People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Chef, over fellow nominees Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Paula Deen