Food Network, admit they suck

[goshi]

I have watched Food Network from the inceptions with a strange David Rosengarten food show loop (not Taste) and it's ugly logo with the platter thing.

I thought Food Network was on its way to a great niche but now I am finding myself watching Fine Living (isn't it really food Network Canada?) more often for food information.

Food network is slowly becoming its own version of E! And I will not be surprised if they have a reality show called Cleberity Chef Face/Off or Emeril:Monster or Maven Telefilm or spill all special in the coming yers.

The network doesn't need to find a new "amateur" host. It's bad enough Rachel ray is now the Mary hart interviewing celebs on "What does a chocolate cookie mean to you Dennis Franz Fernandez?"

It needs to go back and concentrate on food shows, cooking shows and NOT date plates, party starters and food festivals.

I seriously do not care about the yam festival held in Wattahaoocheemakala, Missouri or that Fido and El Vezzio can teach Clueless how to garnish a cocktail weenie.

Wake up and smell the gas Food TV! You guys stink!

[Carolyn Tillie]

From the title of your thread, I seriously thought they had Mea Culpa'd to something...

Pity it is just wishful thinking!

[carp]

Amen.

[howard88]

goshi:

Could not agree with you more.

I also watched the food network from the beginning.

I really enjoyed Rosengarten, Griscom and Richman et. al.

It has become such a parade of silliness.

I hardly tune in anymore.

How many times can we watch how salt water taffy is made

for fifteen minutes.

Can't the dental association find another outlet to promote

their practice.

[jgm]

goshi:

How many times can we watch how salt water taffy is made

for fifteen minutes. 

←

I think this season's highlight of that nonsense was during the cookie show... when they showed footage I'd seen on one of the other programs, about making peppermint pigs. The pigs just looked like red candy pigs. They didn't look like cookies at all, and I couldn't figure out what in the hell they were doing in a cookie show. Besides cutting production costs by taking up the time they would have had to fill using fresh footage, I mean.

[Daddy-A]

I thought Food Network was on its way to a great niche but now I am finding myself watching Fine Living (isn't it really food Network Canada?) more often for food information.

Trust me, Food Network Canada sucks just as baddly.

This is really reminiscent of the Dumbing Down of the Western Palate thread. Food Network, and any of the specialty networks are facing the fact that there just aren't enough niche viewers to make such channels profitable. Solution: appeal to a wider variety of viewers. A Cook's Tour is a great example of a show that appeals to food lovers, but when FN wanted to appeal to a wider audience, they suggested that Tony not go to so many "foreign" places. I guess Mall of America makes for "better" television.

A.

[Chris Cognac]

Fine Living and Food Network are both Scripps networks and I think they are making them "seperate" in what they offer to the viewing public, with Food Network being geared towards a more average audience and fine living a bit more sophisticated and polished.

For the record I enjoy those shows about the garlic festival and such....and I purchase lots of products at the store!

[carp]

...For the record I enjoy those shows about the garlic festival and such...

←

...to each his own I guess...

Well, truth be told... I don't mind the festivals so much... although I could do with a lot less of them.

The Mark Summers shows are the ones that really bother me. I like cooking... not watching the same industrial process over and over again. I feel like Unwrapped is a single episode, shot on the same factory floor, and then endlessly re-narrated by OCD poster boy, Mark Summers, who can only stop to go check on his oven, wash and re-wash his hands, and flip light switches.

Someone make him stop!!

Does anyone know someone at Nickelodeon/Viacom? Maybe we can get this guy's old job back doing that stupid kid's show where they spewed slime on preteens and whatnot.

Edited December 14, 2004 by carp (log)

[bentherebfor]

The Mark Summers shows are the ones that really bother me. I like cooking... not watching the same industrial process over and over again. I feel like Unwrapped is a single episode, shot on the same factory floor, and then endlessly re-narrated by OCD poster boy, Mark Summers, who can only stop to go check on his oven, wash and re-wash his hands, and flip light switches.

Carp, I couldn't agree more. Who cares about watching "oil" (partially hydrogenated oil) and "sugar" (high fructose corn syrup) be dumped in to the same mixer and then onto the same converor belt over and over again. Then his cheesy jokes and pitiful smiles make me just want to never watch TV, let alone FN again.

[SteveW]

goshi:

Could not agree with you more.

I also watched the food network from the beginning.

I really enjoyed Rosengarten, Griscom and Richman et. al.

It has become such a parade of silliness.

I hardly tune in anymore.

How many times can we watch how salt water taffy is made

for fifteen minutes. 

Can't the dental association find another outlet to promote

their practice.

←

The Griscom & Richman 'Dining Around' show wasn't that good. Rosengarten's 'Taste' was excellent.

-Steve

[Gifted Gourmet]

From the title of your thread, I seriously thought they had Mea Culpa'd to something...

←

I really find the title of this thread to be quite misleading

And, of course, they have admitted to nothing, with the possible exception of making a great deal of money on the programs they offer ..

and they will continue to offer what the paying customers wish for ... as will the advertisers .. just the way the marketplace acts ...

[SteveW]

I was also mislead, by the title of this thread.

-Steve

From the title of your thread, I seriously thought they had Mea Culpa'd to something...

←

I really find the title of this thread to be quite misleading

And, of course, they have admitted to nothing, with the possible exception of making a great deal of money on the programs they offer ..

and they will continue to offer what the paying customers wish for ... as will the advertisers .. just the way the marketplace acts ...

←

[ronnie_suburban]

The Griscom & Richman 'Dining Around' show wasn't that good.

←

I respectfully disagree. They were knowledgeable, likable and had a great rapport. I really miss that show even though I didn't always agree with what was said on it and I dined at only a fraction of the restaurants they reviewed.

I just received Richman's new book, Fork It Over, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

I do miss the old days of FN, but from what I've read, their numbers are WAY up, so it's hard to argue with their overall business scheme. It's just that we hardcore food lovers aren't a big enough group to swing the numbers in a profitable direction.

=R=

[Chris Cognac]

Bottom line is Food Network is a business like any other and it needs to make money for its shareholders. It seems to be doing well with the formula its using and has used Fine Living for the higher end stuff. I guess if people want ultra snobby fancy sophisticated food programing they are going to have to stick to PBS..

and speaking of PBS...the first Iron Chef is Flay vs Bayless..Food Network Vs PBS!

[andiesenji]

The Griscom & Richman 'Dining Around' show wasn't that good.

←

I respectfully disagree. They were knowledgeable, likable and had a great rapport. I really miss that show even though I didn't always agree with what was said on it and I dined at only a fraction of the restaurants they reviewed.

I just received Richman's new book, Fork It Over, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

I do miss the old days of FN, but from what I've read, their numbers are WAY up, so it's hard to argue with their overall business scheme. It's just that we hardcore food lovers aren't a big enough group to swing the numbers in a profitable direction.

=R=

←

Their numbers are up because they are in a lot more markets. The cable companies that at one time wouldn't carry them - Orange County, or at least Yorba Linda did not have them for a long time after I did.

I liked Taste, I also loved John Ash. Curtis Aikens show was another favorite. Mary Jo Esposto's show was way better than Rachel Ray's and had the same premise.

And I can't stand the anorexic-appearing Giada with the head too big for her body. Every time I see her I have horrible visions of what she has to do the maintain that body.....

I also loved the shows that had a guest chef every day, ones that actually cooked something instead of just posturing and promoting a new book.

I remember one show where Marion Cunningham and Alice Waters were talking about teas and foods that go with tea and had some terrific suggestions for sandwiches and etc.

I like Alton Brown and Sara Moulton otherwise I don't bother to watch.

[Chris Cognac]

Giada is great, her show is simple and well done. I had the pleasure of hanging out on her "set" a few weeks ago and she is the nicest person, way down to earth, and let me tell you, the food I ate was really good..she made donuts from pizza dough rolled in sugar cinnamon...I could have eaten 1000! She is also prettier in person than on TV.

I went that day with another one of the "favorites" Calorie Commando Juan Cruz, he is also a really nice guy, a good friend and pretty good chef (I have eaten his stuff a few times). He found his "thing" and is running with it...I can also say that he was upset by the comments left by the cruel people on the old Food TV boards...

We wonder why people like Alton, Bobby, Mario and the likes dont hang out and post on the net more....Well if you had to endure all the cruel post and other stuff, just because you are doing something you love...would you post?..Yea I know Boundain posts but he has a pretty thick skin!

Edited December 14, 2004 by Chris Cognac (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

The Griscom & Richman 'Dining Around' show wasn't that good.

←

I respectfully disagree. They were knowledgeable, likable and had a great rapport. I really miss that show even though I didn't always agree with what was said on it and I dined at only a fraction of the restaurants they reviewed.

I just received Richman's new book, Fork It Over, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

I do miss the old days of FN, but from what I've read, their numbers are WAY up, so it's hard to argue with their overall business scheme. It's just that we hardcore food lovers aren't a big enough group to swing the numbers in a profitable direction.

=R=

←

Their numbers are up because they are in a lot more markets. The cable companies that at one time wouldn't carry them - Orange County, or at least Yorba Linda did not have them for a long time after I did. . .

←

Agreed. The less narrow the network's programming becomes, the more likely it is to be picked up by cable systems. That is the nature of the business. If their programming had remained more "hardcore" they probably wouldn't be in as many markets as they are. Start narrow to create your niche then generalize content to grow viewership.

=R=

[Radio7]

But what's the point of specialized channels if you're just going to generalize them? I doubt that route makes more money, just waters everything down and makes way for more insidious advertising/shilling.

As for why "alton bobby and mario" don't post on the net more - I should think posting on EG would be unthreatening - even if a poster doesn't agree they're not rude/nasty in comments (not that I've seen anyway). As for the rest of the net, well it can be pretty crazy out there (in the bad way) but that's the nature of the beast it seems.

I've never seen "calorie commando" (don't get FN on my cable service ) But Juan Cruz seemed pretty cool at the Mi Amo meetup.

Perhaps we should start a campaign to get rid of mark summers: bombard FN's mail desk with (very tenuously-sealed) packets of split pea soup?

[ronnie_suburban]

But what's the point of specialized channels if you're just going to generalize them? I doubt that route makes more money, just waters everything down and makes way for more insidious advertising/shilling. . . .

←

It's a shame that specialized channels often lose their dinstinction as their programming gets diluted in quest of growth. But the "point" of commercial television is to make money. Period. Disagree? Ask the shareholders.

I remember reading somewhere recently that FN's audience had grown 10 fold since its inception and that the executives who manage and direct the channel were delighted with their results. That certainly would suggest increased revenues for FN/Scripps Howard.

=R=

[Gul_Dekar]

The Mark Summers shows are the ones that really bother me. I like cooking... not watching the same industrial process over and over again. I feel like Unwrapped is a single episode, shot on the same factory floor, and then endlessly re-narrated by OCD poster boy, Mark Summers, who can only stop to go check on his oven, wash and re-wash his hands, and flip light switches.

Carp, I couldn't agree more. Who cares about watching "oil" (partially hydrogenated oil) and "sugar" (high fructose corn syrup) be dumped in to the same mixer and then onto the same converor belt over and over again. Then his cheesy jokes and pitiful smiles make me just want to never watch TV, let alone FN again.

←

The fact that Unwrapped is "unwrapping America's favourite foods" is kinda disturbing, as one has to wonder where North American food culture is heading. I mean, I don't think it'd still be on air if there weren't enough Food Network viewers who watch it.

[Raquel]

Whatever happened to "Into the Fire"?? I thought it was a pretty cool behind-the-scenes show...

[Radio7]

It's a shame that specialized channels often lose their dinstinction as their programming gets diluted in quest of growth. But the "point" of commercial television is to make money. Period. Disagree? Ask the shareholders.

I understand that. I'm just sayin'...

[goshi]

Apologies about the misleading header. That was my first post and was not sure where the second title was going.

Won't happen again.

But with that said (what is it with this statement, I always feel like a jackmutt when I say this), I want to thank everyone for their opinions. There is good and bad with the network...and admittingly glum I would rather have crap Food Network than No food network at all.

And is it me or are they trying to craft Tyler Florence into the american Jamie Oliver? All he needs to do on How to Boil Water is to slide down some steps and say, "Wassup with that?" when someone brings him some eggplants.

Here's to endless loops of Unwrapped: Fruit Roll Ups, The Secret Life of Pez and Sandra Lee: Passive Hommaker Cuisine for tasteless husbands stuck in hell surburbia.

Hey Sandra, do I cook the peas in butter or can I use "I can't believe this ain't Butter"?

[Bux]

Okay, it's agreed that FoodTV draws a large audience that's not deeply interested in food. What does this thread say about the eGullet audience when lurkers can read that almost as many people have felt the need to discuss how shallow the audience is at FoodTV than have taken the opportunity to ask Ferran Adrià, arguably the worlds most influential chef, a question in the eGullet Forums Q&A with Ferran Adria?

[TrishCT]

To paraphrase Pogo, Food Network has met it's viewer, and he ain't us. How do I know this? Like many of you, I do not appreciate Unwrapped... In fact if you wanted to create a Clockworkian Orange type of torture, strap me in a chair and make me watch an Unwrapped marathon. But I digress...

This summer I visited my sister (32 years old), and her fiance', and they tivo Unwrapped and Top 5. (Although I think, mercifully Top 5 is now gone.) Gah! I asked her, why, of all shows they tivo'd those... she said they found them very entertaining. My sister is not a foodie, she does not do a lot of home cooking...she is a designer shopper type person. There ya go.