New Food Channel

[SusieQQ]

Today's NYTimes says that Food Network will introduce the Cooking Channel on May 31. It will focus on information and instructional programming.

[runwestierun]

God I miss Julia Child. I would think the resurgence in the popularity of her books would be a clue that people want more instructional shows. I turn on the FN and I am not entertained, I am annoyed!

[Withnail42]

I believe a while back some bigwig at FN referred to Julia Child as a dinosaur and that her shows were elitist.

[Karl S]

WGBH has been - finally, after years upon years of resistance - rebroadcasting select episodes from the original French Chef (B&W, with the musical theme of gurgling oboe/basson) and it successor series (color, with the sweeping flute musical theme). What's refreshing is how much darn content is in those shows, the care that was taken to plan them out (IIRC, in the Reine de Saba cake episode, Julia has cakes ready at five different stages of production) - there is almost no waste, and the programming almost completely fills 30 minutes.

It's pretty apparent that the current depression has forced GBH to cut back on original programming, to make what new programming it is producing cover vaster swaths of time (like taking one Victory Garden season shot in 2008 and spread it over something like 3 or more years, it seems, debuting only a handful of episodes a season), so it's been forced to go back into the archives to fill space. It's resisted repeating anything in B&W in particular. But I am glad, because these have so much more value than the new stuff. (If only it would repeat the original Crockett's Victory Garden, soooooooo much better than what passes for a lifestyle show today).

[mels]

In my perfect world, there would be a food channel with nothing but instructional shows (ones where they actually cook) for all levels of home cooks. Shows on the basics to shows on more difficult tasks (would love one on homemade pastries and breads!). This perfect food channel would have shows on the cuisines of the world. Sandra Lee would be banned, as would Unwrapped, any sort of cake challenge, Rachel Ray traveling anywhere on any budget, and any sort of The Next Worst Cook Iron Chef competition type show.

[Midlife]

That channel used to be The Food Network.

I so want to believe that this re-vamped channel will get back to what FN used to be. They'll have to prove it. Right now PBS is has the best instructional shows on TV.

[berna]

Agreed! They took the food network off the air on Jan 1 (cablevision nj) without letting anyone know. People were very upset, but for me , I'd rather watch the food based programs on PBS or even the travel channel.

[LindaWhit]

A half-dozen new shows...including new ones starring Bobby Flay and Rachael Ray.

Oh joy. Oh bliss. Oh rapture.

And what a surprise - originally going to be instructional channel, "In recent months, Scripps has altered its plans for the second channel to include more entertaining fare. "

:::Sigh:::

[SmartCookie]

I really wish we had a channel for more international shows; certainly TPT does a fabulous job with New Scandinavian Cooking, Daisy Cooks, Made in Spain and the others, but this is just a drop in the bucket compared to what could be offered.

[Withnail42]

Why do I get the feeling that ' more entertaining fare' translates into more cake challenges?

[KTinNYC]

Or people visiting places where cake challenges take place.

[LindaWhit]

Don't forget how commercial candy and junk food is made and wrapped.

[coney with everything]

or people shoving large sandwiches into their mouths.

[LindaWhit]

Or how to make Kwanzaa cakes from store-bought angel food cake, stuffing the center with pie filling, corn nuts, and god-awful frosting. Oh - and black, orange, and green candles large enough to poke your eyes out. (Which would be good thing so you don't have to look at the monstrosity.)

[coney with everything]

here's the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/bus...

The story says what was FLN will now be the Cooking Channel, and that FLN was low rated...well, I don't get FLN in my basic cable. If they include this channel with basic cable, I'll give it a chance.