If you’re one of the stir-crazy people–as in the kind who loves quality time with a wooden spoon and a saucepan–here’s some good news: the Cooking Channel cometh.
Washington Post media columnist Howard Kurtz asks:
Does the world really need another food network? Is there anything left to say, any dish that has remained uncooked? Couldn’t this give America a big fat case of indigestion?
And then quotes the new channel’s honcho in answer:
“Michael Smith, the Cooking Channel president, says the venture is in part a defensive move: ‘We knew, if we didn’t try, that one of our major competitors — Discovery or Time Warner or Disney or Viacom — might create a 24-hour food channel. We think there’s an audience that wants to go broader and deeper.’ “
The new venture is aimed at a younger audience, one that wants more than how-to TV, Kurtz explains. It will cover history, retail trends, personalities. Speaking of the latter, chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay is signed up for “Brunch at Bobby’s.” Check out his thoughts and other angles of this new venture in Kurtz’s column, here.
–Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett
