Scripps Networks Interactive is drawing from its reservoir of talent at Food Network to begin building its second brand in the food genre, with the company naming Michael Smith as general manager of the new Cooking Channel.
Scripps Networks announced earlier this month its plans to rebrand FLN as the Cooking Channel, with the new network launching in third quarter of 2010. Smith, who has guided Food Network's creative and brand strategies for the last 10 years, most recently served as senior vice president of marketing for the network during its rapid rise to top 10 stature. In his new role, Smith will oversee the development, staffing and production of the Cooking Channel, a multi-platform network that will cater to avid food lovers with informational and instructional cooking programming.
“Michael has earned the respect of everyone in the industry for his creative genius in building the Food Network name into one of the strongest brands in media as well as his leadership within cable and television,” said John Lansing, president of Knoxville-based Scripps Networks. “He has the depth and breadth of experience needed to launch this new venture in a bold way. His strategic thinking, combined with his relationships with well-known and emerging food talent, will go a long way in making the new Cooking Channel a distinct destination for 'foodies' everywhere.”
The work produced by Smith's marketing and creative teams during the last decade has won several industry awards, including the prestigious Brand Builder Award from Promax in 2003 and NAMIC's Luminary honors earlier this year. He also has been named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Minorities in Cable in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Smith is a regular speaker for groups such as the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) and the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC).
“The explosion of interest in food and cooking has been amazing, and we are perfectly positioned to build on our category dominance with the introduction of the new Cooking Channel,” Smith said. “The concept of the Cooking Channel has been received with such enthusiasm by our distribution partners, advertisers and talent, I am looking forward to serving up the piece de'resistance when we roll the new network out to consumers next year.”
Prior to Scripps Networks, Smith worked for Disney/ABC Cable Networks and for the CBS Television Network. He earned his MBA in 1986 from the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business and also holds a bachelor's degree from Stanford University.
Brooke Johnson, president of Food Network, expressed confidence in Smith to lead the new Cooking Channel. "Michael is a brilliant brand strategist who has helped develop some of the leading brands in cable," Johnson said. "He is also a collaborative guy who knows how to lead people in the intense work of launching a new cable network.”
About Scripps Networks
Scripps Networks is comprised of the lifestyle television brands HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living Network (FLN) and country music network Great American Country (GAC). Scripps is the dominant media and marketing company in the home, food and lifestyle categories, developing content for television and the Internet, where on-air programming complements an array of broadband video, social media areas and e-commerce components on companion Web sites that attract more than 17 million unique visitors each month.
In addition, Scripps Networks has launched HGTV and Food Network in high-definition and is aggressively developing its emerging media platforms for broadband and video on demand. Scripps Networks also acquired popular recipe Web site Recipezaar.com and Incando Corp. to deepen its user-generated content capabilities. Scripps Networks' brands collectively are available in more than 170 countries and territories on all seven continents. They also are distributed to more than 1,000 outlets on U.S. military bases and U.S. embassies around the world via the American Forces Radio and Television Service.
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco, Scripps Networks is owned by Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. (NYSE:SNI), the leading developer of lifestyle-oriented content for television and the Internet. The company's media portfolio includes: Lifestyle Media, with popular lifestyle television brands HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living Network (FLN) and country music network Great American Country (GAC); and Interactive Services, including leading online search and comparison shopping services, Shopzilla and uSwitch.
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Contacts:
Scripps Networks
Cindy McConkey, Corporate Communications,
865-560-3976
cmcconkey@scrippsnetworks.com