Food Network Is En Fuego
Monday, March 05, 2007 | posted by Mike
I hope that all of those poor, overworked Food Network publicity and PR folks have fully recovered from the madhouse that was the SoBe Festival. I'm not kidding about that...I worked an event in "sunny Orlando" for the day job and spent more hours working than I've ever had in my life. Trust me, conferences and conventions in Florida aren't as glamorous and fun-filled as you may think.
Well, someone at Scripps Networks is back at work, because a new press release came out today with info about a partnership between Food Network and the new V-me TV network. According to the release, "[t]he licensed Scripps Networks programming will appear on V-me during a one-hour Food Network-branded block airing Monday through Friday. V-me will be available in more than 28 million homes in markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Houston when it launches today, and by the end of its first year will be in nearly 50 million homes."
So, what exactly is V-me?
V-me, (pronounced veh-meh) which means “see me” in Spanish, launches as a 24-hour digital broadcast channel presented by public TV stations across the country and carried broadly on digital cable and satellite. The network’s programming is a mix of original productions, exclusive premieres, acquisitions, licensed programming – as with Food Network – as well as the best of public television adapted for American Latinos.
Part of the agreement includes dubbed version of some of the the current Food Network shows (including Giada, Rachael and Alton), as well as two new Spanish-language shows, Mas Sabor en Menos Tiempo (More Flavor in Less Time) and Nuestra Cocina (Our Kitchen). This follows on the heels of word that the Food Network had hired Hispanic star Ingrid Hoffmann for a daytime show that will debut in the third quarter.
We like the addition of some more diversity to the roster of Food Network personalities. Reaching out to a broader audience through partnerships with organizations like V-me and bringing in someone outside of the standard Italian/Grilling/Whatever Sandra Lee Does cuisine of most of the stars is a very welcome development.
Labels: Food Network
