FN Competition

[FoodMan]

As it stands today FN has pretty much no competition, no other 24hr cable network that airs food related programming all the time. As a result FN keeps pumping those crappy lame-brained shows at prime time such as Date Plate and Food Fight to name but two. In addition shows like Molto Mario are showing once a week at a time of day when almost everyone is working. This goes to show us how skewed FN's perspective is when it comes to good programming.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you think we will have any network that can compete with FN anytime soon?? What does it take to start such a network (other than $$$$$)??

Maybe then they will either change their ways (FN) or we will have a new more foodie-oriented, programming-smart network.

Thank you so much for your time and effort to answer our many questions,

E. "FM" Nassar

[mstillman]

As it stands today FN has pretty much no competition, no other 24hr cable network that airs food related programming all the time. As a result FN keeps pumping those crappy lame-brained shows at prime time such as Date Plate   and Food Fight    to name but two. In addition shows like Molto Mario are showing once a week at a time of day when almost everyone is working. This goes to show us how skewed FN's perspective is when it comes to good programming.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you think we will have any network that can compete with FN anytime soon?? What does it take to start such a network (other than $$$$$)??

Maybe then they will either change their ways (FN) or we will have a new more foodie-oriented, programming-smart network.

Thank you so much for your time and effort to answer our many questions,

E. "FM" Nassar

Disclaimer...I was fired from Food Network on October 11 2000. I have no knowledge of Food Network programming or business strategy beyond that date. The opinions I express are my own and no way should be regarded as mean spirited or defamatory.

First of all you can't knock Food Network totally. They are, to my understanding, a profitable company. They have remarkable penetration in the cable market...that is not for nothing. People do watch...and rightfully so. There are plenty of people who know zero about food and want to know something. In a cable network, like a broadcast network you have to throw a lot of stuff out there to see what works. Ineveitably some shows will be better than others, that is natural. On Fox, for every "24" and "Bernie Mac" and "The Simpsons" there are 10 "Man vs. Beasts" and that is from a network with a truly massive program budget. Food Network wants every show to be great but that is hard to do.

As for competitors...sure. I mean it just takes an astonishing amount of money to start a new cable network but it is possible. But it is no way a small procedure. I don't see a competitor rising. I don't think that there is a large enough perceived need in the cable world that Food Network is missing a huge segment of viewers...maybe a case can be made, but I am not sure.

Country music fans represent a huge demographic that is different than Jazz fans...hence two networks. I think that there could be two food centered networks from a content perspective...but I am not starting one.

[fresco]

What's against a second food network is all the food or food oriented programming on other channels or networks, especially PBS. On Saturday, for instance, you can pretty well create your own food network by channel surfing. Some of it is actually pretty good.

[Rachel Perlow]

Ah, like FTV2 (like what MTV did with the videos).