An analysis of Food Network including its history, brand identity, and current shows. Part two of the analysis is the pitch of two new original show ideas for the network based on its brand identity and plan for future programming.

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Running head: FROM KITCHEN TO TABLE: AN IN­DEPTH ANALYSIS OF FOOD NETWORK 1
From Kitchen to Table: An In­Depth Analysis of Food Network
Gabbie Burseth & Christina Kohler
University of Georgia: EMST 3310
11.18.16

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Whether it is the taste of mom’s apple pie or the smell of a backyard barbeque with the
family, home­cooked food holds great value in our hearts individually, as well as collectively as
Americans. Relying on this dear love, Food Network has become an integral part of the cable
television industry as well as viewers’ personal lives. It is relatively new compared to other cable
networks and has grown to be “one of cable industry’s most successful networks” (Meister 2001,
p. 165). In order to better understand the company and their desires for growth, Food Network is
examined below with a look at the network’s history, brand identity, and characteristics that
allow a person to pitch a successful show.
Part I: Network History & Analysis
The Evolution of Culinary TV
Food Network was created in 1993 as “TV Food Network” and began as a small cable
network at a time when no one really knew what cable audiences were interested in (Exclusive
First Read, 2013). According to an NPR article about Allen Salkin’s book From Scratch: Inside
The Food Network , twenty years later, the network has become “a global powerhouse that’s
made the names and fortune of stars like Emeril Lagasse, Paula Deen, Guy Fieri, and Rachael
Ray” (2013). Emeril Live was one of the first shows aired on the network. Emeril’s show was a
signature series, being well­known and extremely popular among the network's earliest viewers.
The network has continued to develop its brand since inception. The brand began as a
network solely dedicated to food and those who like to cook. However, the specific brand at the
beginning was still unclear, due to the unknown characteristics of the audience. The network has
slowly rebranded itself to illustrate a “relationship between food and living a leisure­filled and
excessive ‘good life’” (Meister, 2001, p. 165). In the beginning it was a network targeted at

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people who cook. Because of management change at the network, the brand became more
inclusive: TV for everyone who loves to eat. According to “Feeding Frenzy for Shows with
Teeth,” the network reaches a “uniquely huge niche in the world of lifestyle cablers for the
simple reason that everyone eats” (Littleton, 2013, p. 52). This rebranding changed the target
audience to include more people and appeal to a wider range of viewers and advertisers,
effectively earning the praise that “the sky’s the limit for potential target audiences for its
programs” (Littleton, 2013).
Since its inception, the network’s programming has ranged from “competition­reality
shows to exotic travelogues to traditional how­to shows” (Littleton, 2013, p. 52). The most
significant show from start to finish was Emeril Live (first aired in 1997), with its beloved host,
Emeril Lagasse. People loved Emeril for his passionate and uplifting personality. In an NPR
article based on Salkin’s book about Food Network, the author describes Emeril’s “sweetness
and gentleness” and his loving fans, who would “burst into applause and cheers” after he would
say one line (Exclusive First Read, 2013). Unfortunately, to the dismay of diehard fans and shock
of Emeril, the network ended its airing of the show in 2007. As a part of its rebranding, the
network realized its need to grow and move beyond traditional basic cooking shows. Other
networks, like Travel Channel and TLC, were taking portions of Food Network’s market
(Exclusive First Read, 2013). Thankfully, “Food Network has come a long way from its earliest
days, when the cabler carried a slate of studio­bound shows” (Littleton, 2013, p. 52). The
network has rebranded itself through its shift in programming.
Overall, the programming shift of Food Network’s most successful and significant shows
has moved from “instruction­based to more entertainment­oriented programming.” This shift is a

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result of competition from other “foodie rivals,” such as Bravo and Fox, which air successes like
Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen (Littleton, 2013). While Food Network and Cooking Channel are
the unspoken “Kings of Food TV,” channels such as the Travel Channel, ABC, and others fall
under the umbrella and compete for similar markets (Gaille, 2016).
Other successful and important shows on Food Network include Iron Chef America,
Chopped, Diners Drive­ins, and Dives, and Restaurant Impossible . Iron Chef America was a
“breakthrough competition show” used to attract younger viewers (Exclusive First Read, 2013).
In order to preserve some aspects of original Food Network programming, Emeril was initially
asked to be a regular competitor on Iron Chef America, but he refused. At its start, the show had
strong ratings and appealed highly to the young viewers advertisers wanted. Alternatively,
Chopped and Diners, Drive­ins, and Dives are examples of successful series created to counter
competition channels. Both shows are hosted by popular personalities, Ted Allen and Guy Fieri.
Restaurant Impossible is one of many shows on Food Network, along with Chopped All­Stars
(2.1 million total viewers), that was a top­rated series (1.58 million total viewers) (Littleton,
2013).
These popular shows come to fruition through smaller production companies that
contract with Food Network to air their shows. For example, Chopped is produced by Notion
Production Company and Diners, Drive­ins, and Dives is produced by Citizen Pictures. The
majority of these shows air originally ­ and exclusively ­ on Food Network.
An Emphasis on Brand Identity
According to their website, Food Network is a “unique lifestyle network” that aims to
provide content which “connects viewers to the power and joy of food” (About

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foodnetwork.com., 2016). There is also a vague mention of a desire to “be viewers’ best friend in
food” and a commitment to “teaching, inspiring, and empowering” (2016). These keywords and
metaphorical relationships create strong imagery, which Food Network uses to promote a
streamlined brand across their platform. For example, as a “lifestyle” network, what does
“lifestyle” truly mean? Maureen Ryan (2015) analyzes these “core logics” of a lifestyle channel
and its brand: “ordinariness, inspiration and sociability” (p. 39). Typical programming on the
channel unfolds inside a chef’s home kitchen, “grounding its instruction in ‘real­life’ narrative
and social events” (Ryan, 2015, p. 44) like cocktail parties or potluck dinners. Combined with
seemingly approachable and inviting hosts, a sense of simplicity and universal availability exists
in their programming. Aside from bare­bones instruction in said kitchens, however, Food
Network shows focus on the experience and inspiration that comes from cooking. These hosts
persuade audiences that “cooking is… a form of entertainment, a rewarding hobby, and a way to
access life’s simple pleasures” (Ryan, 2015, p. 51). Finally, an emphasis on the social aspect of
cooking also draws viewers into the show and even promotes advertisers’ products. These shows
are “contingent on… the material comforts that consumption enables” (Ryan, 2015, p. 54), which
leads the viewer to seek out products placed and used by the chefs. They also highlight a
comforting ideal of cooking in order to entertain and please friends and family, rather than
cooking for survival. Maureen Ryan (2015) points out, though, that this is “contingent on
women’s labor in the home” (p. 54) and “a by­product of wealth and class privilege” (p. 59),
which does limit Food Network’s demographic in some ways.
The exact demographic Food Network strives for is the 18­49 year age range, which
comprises 54% of the current audience (Gaille, 2016). Additionally, women make up 58% of

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regular viewership (Gaille, 2016), many of which are drawn to the home cooking shows hosted
by women like Paula Deen. The network is also overwhelmingly family­oriented, with 50.3% of
the audience married and 47% having at least one child (Gaille, 2016). In thinking about new
programming, the executives at Food Network therefore may be likely to turn down shows
deemed inappropriate for family viewership.
Interestingly, Food Network is the #1 cable network to boast a demographic most likely
to purchase advertised products (Gaille, 2016), which makes both product placement and
advertising time slots important for food­related and home­oriented companies. They also are the
#1 food brand across all digital platforms (Gaille, 2016), even six times as likely as competitors
to be trusted when it comes to various cooking needs (“Food Network burns the competition”,
2016). Plus, in today’s digital age, “discussions of food, sharing pictures of food is one of the
largest drivers of what goes on in social media” (Littleton, 2013). For these reasons, Food
Network will strive to find ways to utilize all aspects of their brand platform (magazine, website,
social media apps, and TV) to market their shows and products.
Part II: Pitches
Road Trip Raid
The premise for an initial pitch to Food Network would feature two young female hosts,
perhaps in their twenties, taking road trips across America to “raid” the country for the best local
cuisine. Each episode would take place a specific city and revolve around three or four specific
food items and where to find them perfected. For example, an episode could be set in San
Francisco, where the girls attempt to track down the “best” burger, burrito, and seafood dish. To

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choose the city and the local restaurants, the hosts and Food Network administration would use
social media campaigns to hear from viewers themselves about recommendations or take quick
polls indicating which city the duo should visit next. The show would not only take place in the
cities but would be bookended by segments of some sort of “road trip” as the girls travel into the
city. A GoPro­style camera set­up on the dashboard on the vehicle could provide fun and
interesting moments not only to introduce the episode but also to learn about the hosts and
incorporate some youthful, relevant humor.
Road Trip Raid targets the 18­49 range Food Network strives for, specifically aiming to
reach the younger millennial crowd who may better relate to younger hosts. Additionally, the
program would take inspiration from previous Food Network hits and therefore fit in on the
network. Specifically, it follows a pattern set by Guy Fieri’s Diners, Dive­Ins, and Drives but as
an updated, fresher adaptation of such a show.
Aside from the obvious refreshing change coming from younger, millennial hosts, Road
Trip Raid would bring vastly needed change to the Food Network by using social media heavily
and drawing on the unified digital brand platform the network has created and hopes to maintain.
Using Instagram during the episodes, even in brief montage shots, would invite viewers to follow
the hosts’ accounts to see the photos. Additionally, the Instagram accounts could promote
“behind the scenes” segments or deleted scenes by showing short, fifteen­second clips and
linking to the Food Network brand website if the user wants to see the full segment. Twitter can
also be incorporated, again encouraging viewers to follow the young hosts’ accounts and then
using the platform to conduct brief Twitter polls in order to get audience feedback on which

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places to visit next. Using social media to this extent would be new and unparalleled for the Food
Network, and it is what they need in order to maintain status throughout the twenty­first century.
Getting to the Roots
The idea for a second pitch is an educational show centered around the food of foreign
cultures, Getting to the Roots. The host would be vibrant, enthusiastic, and passionate about the
different cultures presented to the audience. During each show the host would introduce a guest
from a different culture or ethnic background, who would describe unusual ingredients and how
to prepare actual traditional meals (not with an American twist, like some programming on Food
Network attempts). The host and guest would begin each episode meeting somewhere like an
international farmers’ market to buy the ingredients for their traditional meal. This beginning
segment would convey to the audience the ease of finding ingredients for culturally diverse food.
Afterwards, the host and guest would move to the next segment, in which the guest would cook
his or her traditional meal using the purchased ingredients.
Food Network has a variety of show genres, from personal cooking shows in the home to
competition shows between renowned or aspiring chefs. Some shows fall in the “other” category,
like Good Eats and Diners, Drive­Ins and Dives, in which the host provides information about
the science behind cooking or the best restaurants in America. Despite the inclusion of cooking
the meal at the end of each episode, our pitch would fall in this “other” category because of its
educational component. Airing the host and guest shopping for food and creating one or two
traditional dishes, would put an emphasis on the education of that culture. The show would also
touch on cultural norms and regional music relating to the guest.

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The show would fit with the target age demographic of 18­49 and would also fit in with
the family audience that makes up 47% of households that watch Food Network (Gaille, 2016).
The educational component encourages younger audiences to watch with the family. Food
Network is aiming for a younger demographic due to their increased value for networks. This is
the most significant target audience, and our show would be a great step towards cultivating a
strong younger demographic for Food Network.
Our educational show would also fit nicely with the current programming line­up. The
show is similar to Good Eats (hosted by Alton Brown), which explores the science behind food.
Similar to our pitch idea, Good Eats aims to educate its viewers on the ingredients, unlike
competition shows and home cooking shows, such as Barefoot Contessa. In addition to fitting in
with Food Network’s programming, our show would compete with popular shows on other
networks, such as No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel. However, our
show emphasizes that you don’t have to travel to a different country to be able to create new
culturally diverse food.
As a positive change for the network, the show would also easily promote the website
and thrive on social media. The cooking segment on the show would be short; therefore, the
show would put Tasty­like, step­by­step, high­speed videos on Food Network’s website to
explain the recipe and how to prepare it. These videos are shareable on Facebook and would
encourage more web traffic through hyperlinks, as well as providing competition with Tasty and
other popular online food brands. Since the promotion of Food Network’s digital platforms is the
network’s future, our show would be extremely beneficial.

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These new programs would bring fresh content, diversity, and incentive for viewers to the
Food Network. Though having been established since the 1990s, there is plenty of space for the
network to grow and provide the joy and comfort of cooking and enjoying food.

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Reference List
About foodnetwork.com. (2016). Foodnetwork.com . Retrieved from
http://www.foodnetwork.com/site/about­foodnetwork­com.html
Food Network burns the competition in the race for food fan loyalty. (2016, May 19). Business
wire . Retrieved from http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160519005867/en/
Gaille, B. (2016, March 07). 40 captivating Food Network demographics. BrandonGaille.com .
Retrieved from
http://brandongaille.com/40­captivating­food­network­demographics/
Littleton, C. (2013). Feeding frenzy for shows with teeth. (2013). Variety , 321(18), 51­56.
Ryan, M. (2015). Logics of lifestyle and the rise of Scripps networks, 1994­2010. Feminist
Media Histories , 1(2), 37­63.
Salkin, A. (2013, September 19). Exclusive first read: 'From scratch: Inside the Food Network'.
NPR.com. Retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/2013/09/19/223173797/exclusive­first­read­from­scratch­inside­the­
food­network